Comparative grazing behavior of lactating Holstein-Friesian, Jersey, and Jersey × Holstein-Friesian dairy cows and its association with intake capacity and production efficiency

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to investigate differences in grazing behavior among Holstein-Friesian (HF), Jersey (JE), and Jersey x Holstein-Friesian (F(1)) cows under an intensive, seasonal, grass-based environment and to determine whether associations exist among grazing behavior, intake capacity, and production efficiency. Data from a total of 108 animals (37 HF, 34 JE, and 37F(1)) were available for analysis. Measurements included milk production, body weight (BW), intake, and grazing behavior. Breed group had a significant effect on all of the production, grass dry matter intake, and efficiency parameters investigated. No differences were observed among the breeds for grazing time, number of grazing bouts, grazing bout duration, and total number of bites. Grazing mastications were higher for the JE cows compared with the HF cows. Grass dry matter intake per bite and rate of intake per minute were higher for the HF cows compared with the JE cows. Large differences between the breeds were apparent when grazing behavior measurements were expressed per unit of BW and per unit of intake. In absolute terms, the HF cows spent more time ruminating and had more mastications during rumination than the JE cows. However, when expressed per unit of BW, ruminating time was greater for the JE cows and they tended to have more ruminating mastications compared with the HF cows. Despite these differences, ruminating time and ruminating mastications per unit of intake were similar for the 2 breeds. For the most part, the F(1) cows tended to be similar to the mid-parent mean, but results showed an increase in biting rate, lower grazing duration per bout, and a tendency to achieve a high intake per bite compared with the average of the parent breeds. The results obtained also indicate that inherent grazing and ruminating differences exist between cows varying in intake capacity and production efficiency. Cows with higher intake capacities have increased grazing time and rate of intake per unit of BW. Increased production efficiency, on the other hand, appears to be aided, in particular by improvements in mastication behavior during grazing.

Comparison of the performance of Holstein-Friesian and Jersey×Holstein-Friesian crossbred dairy cows within three contrasting grassland-based systems of milk production

“…Prendiville et al (2010a), in a study involving grazing dairy cattle, observed that Jersey crossbred cows had an increased biting rate and a tendency to achieve a higher intake per bite compared with the average of the parent breeds, with these benefits attributed in part to hybrid vigour for intake characteristics.…”

“…This, combined with increasing herd sizes and a trend towards reduced labour input per cow, has prompted interest in 'easy care cows', and this has led to a renewed interest in the role of crossbreeding. While many breeds have been used within crossbreeding programmes, there is particular interest in the use of the Jersey breed due to its ability to improve milk composition (Aikman et al, 2008;Rastani et al, 2001;White et al, 2001), and the fact that Jersey crossbred cattle are particularly well suited to grazing systems (Prendiville et al, 2010a).…”

Crossbreeding: implications for dairy cow fertility and survival

“…This together with the finding that herd productivity was not compromised (+2% milk volume, +1.3% milk solids yield; fat plus protein) by crossing with Norwegian Red (Buckley and Shalloo, 2009), provides Irish dairy farmers with a viable option to improve profitability by reducing the cost associated with sub-optimal fertility/longevity. Concurrent with the study by Begley et al (2009), a research study evaluating the merits of Jersey and Jersey × Holstein-Friesian crossbreds was conducted by Prendiville et al (2009Prendiville et al ( , 2010aPrendiville et al ( , 2010bPrendiville et al ( , 2011aPrendiville et al ( and 2011b. Jersey until then was not considered a suitable cross within the context of EU milk (fat) quotas owing to the negative impact of high milk fat content.…”

Gastrointestinal tract size, total-tract digestibility, and rumen microflora in different dairy cow genotypes

“…137 138 Prendiville et al (2010) concluded that differences in grazing behavior contributed little to 139 differences in DMI capacity among lactating dairy cow genotypes. They speculated that the 140 higher DMI capacity expressed as DMI/BW observed with Jersey (JE) and JerseyHolstein-141…”

“…The JE 531 had a higher total tract digestibility indicating an increase in energy available for milk solids 532 production (Coulon and Rémond, 1991). This increase in total tract digestibility likely 533 contributes to the difference in milk production efficiency measured among these dairy cow 534 genotypes (Prendiville et al, 2010). The JE were able to digest 2.2% more of the grass than 535 the HF, which is the equivalent of an increase in the energy content of grass from 1.01 536 UFL/kg DM to 1.05 UFL/kg DM.…”