Body Condition Score and Milk Production on Conception Rate of Cows under a Small-Scale Dairy System
2019
Luis Javier Montiel-Olguín | Felipe J. Ruiz-López | Miguel Mellado | Eliab Estrada-Cortés | Sergio Gómez-Rosales | Juana Elizabeth Elton-Puente | Hector Raymundo Vera-Avila
Management and production characteristics impact conception rate to first service (CR1S) in small-scale dairy farms, but the impact of body condition score (BCS) and milk production levels on cows&rsquo: fertility is unknown. Our objective is to determine the effect of BCS and milk production on CR1S in small-scale dairy farms of western Mexico. Logistic regression models are used to determine the effect of BCS (at calving and first service), 60-d and 305-d milk production, protein and fat production, lactation number, and days at first service on CR1S. BCS at calving does not affect CR1S in cows with three or more lactations (39.5%: p >: 0.1). However, first-lactation cows with BCS <: 3.0 at calving and second lactation cows with BCS &le: 2.5 at calving have higher CR1S (63.2 and 67.9%, respectively: p <: 0.1). This result is perhaps due to reduced milk production, which leads to lower metabolic stress. BCS &le: 2.5 at calving is associated (p <: 0.05) with a reduced milk yield, explaining partially the observed higher CR1S in these groups. Cows with BCS &le: 2.5 at first service in the higher quartile of 60-d milk production (&ge: 28kg/day) show lower CR1S (23.9 and 51.1%, respectively: p <: 0.01). In conclusion, BCS at calving and at first service, 60-d milk production, and lactation number are factors associated with CR1S.
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