Production and calving traits of Montbéliarde × Holstein and Viking Red × Holstein cows compared with pure Holstein cows during first lactation in 8 commercial dairy herds

Abstract

Montbéliarde (MO) × Holstein (HO) and Viking Red (VR) × HO crossbred cows were compared with pure HO cows in 8 large, high-performance dairy herds. All cows were either 2-breed crossbred or pure HO cows that calved for the first time from December 2010 to April 2014. Best Prediction was used to calculate 305-d milk, fat, and protein production, as well as somatic cell score, and 513 MO × HO, 540 VR × HO, and 978 HO cows were analyzed for production in first lactation. Calving difficulty was scored from 1 (no assistance) to 5 (extreme difficulty). The analysis of calving traits included 493 MO × HO, 504 VR × HO, and 971 HO cows at first calving. Age at first calving was similar for breed groups, and the herds calved both crossbred (23.8 mo) and HO (23.9 mo) cows at young ages. The MO × HO crossbred cows had +3% higher production of 305-d fat plus protein production (actual basis, not mature equivalent) than the HO cows, and the VR × HO were similar to the HO cows for fat plus protein production. Breed groups did not differ for SCS during first lactation. The VR-sired 3-breed crossbred calves (from MO × HO dams) were similar to pure HO calves for calving difficulty; however, MO-sired male calves born to VR × HO dams had a mean score that was +0.5 points higher for calving difficulty than pure HO male calves. The 3-breed crossbred calves from both MO × HO (4%) and VR × HO (5%) first-lactation dams had a much lower stillbirth rate compared with pure HO calves (9%) from first-lactation dams.

Differences between performance of F1 crossbreds and Holsteins at different production levels

“…The relative number of days open in RHX compared with HOL in herds with a low level of production was −16 and −11 for first-and secondparity cows, respectively. The results are in accordance with Hazel et al (2017b), Jönsson (2015), who found improved fertility in Viking Red × Holstein, Scandinavian Red × Holstein, and Swedish Red × Swedish Holstein, respectively, versus purebred Holstein.…”

“…The results are in accordance with Heins et al (2006a) and , who found an insignificant difference in FP yield between Scandinavian Red × Holstein and Holstein in first-parity cows. Hazel et al (2017b) drew the same conclusion on FP yield in first-parity Viking Red × Holstein crossbreds compared with purebred first-parity Holstein. Furthermore, crossbreds in second parity were significantly inferior to the purebreds in the study by , which supports our findings.…”

“…In a US study, Heins et al (2006b) found a similar reduction (36%) in stillbirths in Scandinavian Red × Holstein crossbreds compared with pure Holstein. In a recent US study comparing Viking Red × Holstein crossbreds and purebred Holstein, there was a 44% reduction of stillbirths in crossbred animals, but this estimate was only slightly significant (Hazel et al, 2017b). Jönsson (2015) made a large analysis on the performance of reciprocal crosses between Swedish Red and Swedish Holstein compared with purebred Swedish Holstein.…”

“…Udder health can be defined as mastitis incidence; for example, as a binary trait (as in this study) or as SCC or SCS. The latter definition was used by , who found Scandinavian Red × Holstein crosses to have significantly lower SCS across lactations compared with purebred Holstein, whereas Hazel et al (2017b) did not find any difference between first-parity Viking Red × Holstein versus Holstein. Defining incidences of mastitis between −10 d before and 150 d after calving (binary trait), Jönsson (2015) found that crossbreds had a significantly lower incidence of mastitis in both first and second parities if the cows were sired by a Swedish Holstein bull, but no difference if the sire was a Swedish Red bull.…”

Three-breed rotational crossbreds of Montbéliarde, Viking Red, and Holstein compared with Holstein cows for dry matter intake, body traits, and production

“…Other studies, like this study, have reported lower milk volume (-2.1 to -6.1%) for 2-breed and 3-breed crosses of the HO, MO, and VR breeds (Heins et al, 2006;Malchiodi et al, 2011;Hazel et al, 2017b). Heins et al (2006) found that primiparous MO × HO cows had 3.8% less fat plus protein production (kg) than HO cows, whereas Nordic Red × HO cows had no differences for fat plus protein production from HO cows.…”