The importance of hoof health in dairy production
2019
Krpalkova, Lenka | Cabrera, Victor E. | Zavadilova, Ludmila et al.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of hoof health on reproduction and production performance, somatic cell count, and longevity in dairy cattle. The data set consisted of records from 19 145 dairy cows at 11 dairy farms in the Czech Republic during years 1998 to 2016. Observations were grouped according to the number of hoof disease (HD) incidence. Each record included a binary variable indicating if HD was observed. The prevalence (% of all cows) observed with HD and its changes according to parity, milk yield, and calving interval were calculated. Great variability among farms was observed. HD detected in the first month of first lactation was associated with 1.5 kg/day lower milk yield and 58 000 cell/ml higher somatic cell count during first lactation. HD detected in the first month of second lactation was associated with 2.6 kg/day lower milk yield and 45 000 cell/ml higher somatic cell count during second lactation. Results from completed lactations showed that observed HD was associated with significantly lower milk yield: 124 kg less during first lactation and 308 kg less during second lactation. Reproductive performance was the poorest in the group with the highest number of HD observations (frequency) within a single lactation (≥ 4). The higher the number of HD frequency per lactation, the greater was the negative association on production and reproductive performance.
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