Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-jwnkl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-12T01:23:30.907Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Changes in the genetic level and the effects of age at first calving and milk production on survival during the first lactation over the last 25 years

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2016

M. L. van Pelt ,
G. de Jong  and
R. F. Veerkamp
M. L. van Pelt*
Affiliation:
CRV BV, Animal Evaluation Unit, PO Box 454, 6800 AL Arnhem, The Netherlands Wageningen UR Livestock Research, PO Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The Netherlands
G. de Jong
Affiliation:
CRV BV, Animal Evaluation Unit, PO Box 454, 6800 AL Arnhem, The Netherlands
R. F. Veerkamp
Affiliation:
Wageningen UR Livestock Research, PO Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The Netherlands
*
†E-mail: mathijs.vanpelt@wur.nl
Get access

Abstract

Survival during the first year after first calving was investigated over the last 25 years, 1989–2013, as well as how the association of survival with season of calving, age at first calving (AFC) and within-herd production level has changed over that period. The data set contained 1 108 745 Dutch black-and-white cows in 2185 herds. Linear models were used to estimate (1) effect of year and season and their interaction and (2) effect of AFC, within-herd production level, and 5-year intervals and their two-way interactions, and the genetic trend. All models contained AFC and percentage of Holstein Friesian as a fixed effect, and herd-year-season, sire and maternal grandsire as random effects. Survival and functional survival were analysed. Functional survival was defined as survival adjusted for within-herd production level. Survival rate increased by 8% up to 92% in the last 25 years. When accounting for pedigree, survival showed no improvement up to 1999, but improved since then. Genetically, survival increased 3% to 4% but functional survival did not increase over the 25 years. We found an interesting difference between the genetic trends for survival and functional survival for bulls born between 1985 and 1999, where the trend for survival was still increasing, but was negative for functional survival. Since 1999, genetic trend picked up again for both survival and functional survival. AFC, season of calving and within-herd production level affected survival. Survival rate decreased 0.6%/month for survival and 1.5% for functional survival between AFC of 24 and 32 months. Calving in summer resulted in 2.0% higher survival than calving in winter. Within herd, low-producing cows had a lower survival rate than high-producing cows. However, these effects became less important during the recent years. Based on survival optimum AFC is around 24 months, but based on functional survival it is better to have an AFC<24 months. Overall, survival rate of heifers has improved considerably in the past 25 years, initially due to the focus on a high milk production. More recently, the importance of a high milk production has been reduced towards attention for functional survival.

Keywords

dairy cattlelongevitysurvivalage at first calvingwithin-herd production level
Type
Research Article
Information
animal , Volume 10 , Issue 12 , December 2016 , pp. 2043 - 2050
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bach, A 2011. Associations between several aspects of heifer development and dairy cow survivability to second lactation. Journal of Dairy Science 94, 1052–1057.Google Scholar
Barkema, HW, von Keyserlingk, MAG, Kastelic, JP, Lam, TJGM, Luby, C, Roy, JP, LeBlanc, SJ, Keefe, GP and Kelton, DF 2015. Invited review: changes in the dairy industry affecting dairy cattle health and welfare. Journal of Dairy Science 98, 7426–7445.Google Scholar
Bergevoet, RHM, Ondersteijn, CJM, Saatkamp, HW, van Woerkum, CMJ and Huirne, RBM 2004. Entrepreneurial behaviour of Dutch dairy farmers under a milk quota system: goals, objectives and attitudes. Agricultural Systems 80, 1–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berry, DP and Cromie, AR 2009. Associations between age at first calving and subsequent performance in Irish spring calving Holstein-Friesian dairy cows. Livestock Science 123, 44–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boettcher, PJ, Jairath, LK and Dekkers, JCW 1999. Comparison of methods for genetic evaluation of sires for survival of their daughters in the first three lactations. Journal of Dairy Science 82, 1034–1044.Google Scholar
CRV 2015a. CRV Jaarstatistieken Nederland 2015. CRV, Arnhem, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
CRV 2015b. Genetisch trend van koeien in Nederland. Retrieved on 6 April 2016 from https://www.crv4all.nl/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/gen_trend_koe_nl_20151203.pdf.Google Scholar
Dechow, CD and Goodling, RC 2008. Mortality, culling by sixty days in milk, and production profiles in high- and low-survival Pennsylvania herds. Journal of Dairy Science 91, 4630–4639.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dematawewa, CMB and Berger, PJ 1998. Genetic and phenotypic parameters for 305-day yield, fertility, and survival in Holsteins. Journal of Dairy Science 81, 2700–2709.Google Scholar
Ducrocq, V 2005. An improved model for the French genetic evaluation of dairy bulls on length of productive life of their daughters. Animal Science 80, 249–256.Google Scholar
Evans, RD, Wallace, M, Garrick, DJ, Dillon, P, Berry, DP and Olori, V 2006. Effects of calving age, breed fraction and month of calving on calving interval and survival across parities in Irish spring-calving dairy cows. Livestock Science 100, 216–230.Google Scholar
Froidmont, E, Mayeres, P, Picron, P, Turlot, A, Planchon, V and Stilmant, D 2013. Association between age at first calving, year and season of first calving and milk production in Holstein cows. Animal 7, 665–672.Google Scholar
Fürst, C and Fürst-Waltl, B 2006. Breeding aspects of the calving process, rate of stillbirths and longevity in dairy cattle. Züchtungskunde 78, 365–383.Google Scholar
Gilmour, AR, Gogel, B, Cullis, B, Thompson, R, Butler, D, Cherry, M, Collins, D, Dutkowski, G, Harding, S and Haskard, K 2009. ASReml user guide release 3.0. VSN International Ltd, Hemel Hempstead, UK.Google Scholar
Hadley, GL, Wolf, CA and Harsh, SB 2006. Dairy cattle culling patterns, explanations, and implications. Journal of Dairy Science 89, 2286–2296.Google Scholar
Hare, E, Norman, HD and Wright, JR 2006. Survival rates and productive herd life of dairy cattle in the United States. Journal of Dairy Science 89, 3713–3720.Google Scholar
Haworth, GM, Tranter, WP, Chuck, JN, Cheng, Z and Wathes, DC 2008. Relationships between age at first calving and first lactation milk yield, and lifetime productivity and longevity in dairy cows. Veterinary Record 162, 643–647.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jongeneel, R and Van Berkum, S 2015. What will happen after the EU milk quota system expires in 2015? An assessment of the Dutch dairy sector. LEI Wageningen UR, Wageningen, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Miglior, F, Chesnais, J and Van Doormaal, BJ 2012. Genetic improvement: a major component of increased dairy farm profitability. Invited Presentation at 38th ICAR Biennial Session held in Cork, Ireland, May 28--June 1, 2012, ICAR Technical Series. International Committee for Animal Recording, Rome, Italy.Google Scholar
Miglior, F, Muir, BL and Van Doormaal, BJ 2005. Selection indices in Holstein cattle of various countries. Journal of Dairy Science 88, 1255–1263.Google Scholar
Nieuwhof, GJ, Norman, HD and Dickinson, FN 1989. Phenotypic trends in herdlife of dairy cows in the United States. Journal of Dairy Science 72, 726–736.Google Scholar
Nilforooshan, MA and Edriss, MA 2004. Effect of age at first calving on some productive and longevity traits in Iranian Holsteins of the Isfahan Province. Journal of Dairy Science 87, 2130–2135.Google Scholar
Nor, NM, Steeneveld, W, van Werven, T, Mourits, MCM and Hogeveen, H 2013. First-calving age and first-lactation milk production on Dutch dairy farms. Journal of Dairy Science 96, 981–992.Google Scholar
Oltenacu, PA and Algers, B 2005. Selection for increased production and the welfare of dairy cows: are new breeding goals needed? AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment 34, 311–315.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oltenacu, PA and Broom, DM 2010. The impact of genetic selection for increased milk yield on the welfare of dairy cows. Animal Welfare 19, 39–49.Google Scholar
Pirlo, G, Miglior, F and Speroni, M 2000. Effect of age at first calving on production traits and on difference between milk yield returns and rearing costs in Italian Holsteins. Journal of Dairy Science 83, 603–608.Google Scholar
Pryce, JE, Veerkamp, RF, Thompson, R, Hill, WG and Simm, G 1997. Genetic aspects of common health disorders and measures of fertility in Holstein Friesian dairy cattle. Animal Science 65, 353–360.Google Scholar
Robertson, A 1966. A mathematical model of culling process in dairy cattle. Animal Production 8, 95–108.Google Scholar
Sewalem, A, Kistemaker, GJ, Ducrocq, V and Van Doormaal, BJ 2005. Genetic analysis of herd life in Canadian dairy cattle on a lactation basis using a Weibull proportional hazards model. Journal of Dairy Science 88, 368–375.Google Scholar
Sewalem, A, Miglior, F, Kistemaker, GJ, Sullivan, P, Huapaya, G and Van Doormaal, BJ 2007. Short communication: modification of genetic evaluation of herd life from a three-trait to a five-trait model in Canadian dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science 90, 2025–2028.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Terawaki, Y and Ducrocq, V 2009. Nongenetic effects and genetic parameters for length of productive life of Holstein cows in Hokkaido, Japan. Journal of Dairy Science 92, 2144–2150.Google Scholar
Van der Linde, C, Harbers, A and De Jong, G 2007. From functional to productive longevity in the Netherlands. Interbull Bulletin 37, 203.Google Scholar
Van Pelt, ML, Meuwissen, THE, de Jong, G and Veerkamp, RF 2015. Genetic analysis of longevity in Dutch dairy cattle using random regression. Journal of Dairy Science 98, 4117–4130.Google Scholar
Veerkamp, RF, Hill, WG, Stott, AW, Brotherstone, S and Simm, G 1995. Selection for longevity and yield in dairy-cows using transmitting abilities for type and yield. Animal Science 61, 189–197.Google Scholar
Veerkamp, RF, Windig, J, Calus, M, Ouweltjes, W, De Haas, Y and Beerda, B 2008. Selection for high production in dairy cattle. In Resource allocation theory applied to farm animal production (ed. W Rauw), pp. 243–260. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.Google Scholar
Vitali, A, Segnalini, M, Bertocchi, L, Bernabucci, U, Nardone, A and Lacetera, N 2009. Seasonal pattern of mortality and relationships between mortality and temperature-humidity index in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 92, 3781–3790.Google Scholar
Vollema, AR, Van der Beek, S, Harbers, AGF and De Jong, G 2000. Genetic evaluation for longevity of Dutch dairy bulls. Journal of Dairy Science 83, 2629–2639.Google Scholar
Wathes, DC, Brickell, JS, Bourne, NE, Swali, A and Cheng, Z 2008. Factors influencing heifer survival and fertility on commercial dairy farms. Animal 2, 1135–1143.Google Scholar
Wathes, DC, Pollott, GE, Johnson, KF, Richardson, H and Cooke, JS 2014. Heifer fertility and carry over consequences for life time production in dairy and beef cattle. Animal 8, 91–104.Google Scholar
Weigel, KA 2006. Prospects for improving reproductive performance through genetic selection. Animal Reproduction Science 96, 323–330.Google Scholar
Weigel, KA, Palmer, RW and Caraviello, DZ 2003. Investigation of factors affecting voluntary and involuntary culling in expanding dairy herds in Wisconsin using survival analysis. Journal of Dairy Science 86, 1482–1486.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weller, JI and Ezra, E 2015. Environmental and genetic factors affecting cow survival of Israeli Holsteins. Journal of Dairy Science 98, 676–684.Google Scholar
Windig, JJ, Calus, MPL, Beerda, B and Veerkamp, RF 2006. Genetic correlations between milk production and health and fertility depending on herd environment. Journal of Dairy Science 89, 1765–1775.Google Scholar