Production and reproduction of Fleckvieh, Brown Swiss, and 2 strains of Holstein-Friesian cows in a pasture-based, seasonal-calving dairy system

Abstract

The first objective of this study was to compare the productive and reproductive performance of Holstein-Friesian (CH HF), Fleckvieh (CH FV), and Brown Swiss (CH BS) cows of Swiss origin with New Zealand Holstein-Friesian (NZ HF) cows in pasture-based compact-calving systems; NZ HF cows were chosen as the reference population for such grazing systems. The second objective was to analyze the relationships within and between breeds regarding reproductive performance, milk yield, and body condition score (BCS) dynamics. On 15 commercial Swiss farms, NZ HF cows were paired with Swiss cows over 3 yr. Overall, the study involved 259 complete lactations from 134 cows: 131 from 58 NZ HF, 40 from 24 CH HF, 43 from 27 CH FV, and 45 from 25 CH BS cows. All production parameters were affected by cow breed. Milk and energy-corrected milk yield over 270 d of lactation differed by 1,000 kg between the 2 extreme groups; CH HF having the highest yield and CH BS the lowest. The NZ HF cows had the greatest milk fat and protein concentrations over the lactation and exhibited the highest lactation persistency. Body weight differed by 90 kg between extreme groups; NZ HF and CH BS being the lightest and CH HF and CH FV the heaviest. As a result, the 2 HF strains achieved the highest milk production efficiency (270-d energy-corrected milk/body weight(0.75)). Although less efficient at milk production, CH FV had a high 21-d submission rate (86%) and a high conception rate within 2 inseminations (89%), achieving high pregnancy rates within the first 3 and 6 wk of the breeding period (65 and 81%, respectively). Conversely, poorer reproductive performance was recorded for CH HF cows, with NZ HF and CH BS being intermediate. Both BCS at nadir and at 100 d postpartum had a positive effect on the 6-wk pregnancy rate, even when breed was included in the model. The BCS at 100 d of lactation also positively affected first service conception rate. In conclusion, despite their high milk production efficiency, even in low-input systems, CH HF were not suited to pasture-based seasonal-calving production systems due to poor reproductive performance. On the contrary, CH FV fulfilled the compact-calving reproduction objectives and deserve further consideration in seasonal calving systems, despite their lower milk production potential.

Reproductive performance of Jersey and Fleckvieh × Jersey heifers and cows maintained on a pasture-based feeding system

“…Little attention has been given to the use of dual-purpose breeds in dairy crossbreeding programmes. The Fleckvieh is a dual-purpose breed that is characterized by excellent reproductive performance (Piccand et al, 2013). Dual-purpose breeds provide an opportunity to maintain higher milk yield of cows while improving fertility, longevity and beef production.…”

Physiological adaptations and ovarian cyclicity of Holstein and Montbéliarde cows under two low-input production systems

“…They require early spring calvings in order to coordinate seasonal pasture growth with nutritional requirements for early lactation (Horn et al, 2013;Piccand et al, 2013). Strict seasonalcalving grazing systems are sensitive to reproductive failure because they depend on the ability of dairy cows to become pregnant within a narrow window of opportunity each year (Cutullic et al, 2011;Piccand et al, 2013).…”

“…These effects are mediated in part by hormones and metabolites related to nutritional status, and changes in tissue responsiveness to key hormones (Butler, 2003;Chagas et al, 2007;Leroy et al, 2008). As a result, cows selected for conventional continuous calving systems experience longer periods of body fat mobilization, chronic low body condition score (BCS) and are prone to reproduction problems, which may render them incompatible with seasonal-calving grazing systems (Dillon et al, 2003b;Horan et al, 2005b;Macdonald et al, 2008;Piccand et al, 2013). Nonetheless, there are marked breed differences in production and reproduction outcomes (Cutullic et al, 2011;Horn et al, 2013;Piccand et al, 2013).…”

“…As a result, cows selected for conventional continuous calving systems experience longer periods of body fat mobilization, chronic low body condition score (BCS) and are prone to reproduction problems, which may render them incompatible with seasonal-calving grazing systems (Dillon et al, 2003b;Horan et al, 2005b;Macdonald et al, 2008;Piccand et al, 2013). Nonetheless, there are marked breed differences in production and reproduction outcomes (Cutullic et al, 2011;Horn et al, 2013;Piccand et al, 2013). For instance, a multilactation study that included selected Friesian-Holstein (HOLS) and Montbéliarde (MONT) cows under Irish grassbased conditions found that HOLS cows supported lactation by greater body reserve mobilization postpartum and less BCS replenishment during late lactation, and had impaired reproduction performance and longevity in the herd compared with MONT, which had lower milk production (Dillon et al, 2003a and2003b).…”

Using plant wax markers to estimate the diet composition of grazing Holstein dairy cows

“…According to Villalba et al (2015), the knowledge of the effects of feed context on preference of grazing animals should pioneer innovative management strategies to enhance forage intake, pro-ductivity, and animal welfare. Previous studies examined the suitability of different cow strains or breeds for a pasture-based feeding system [McCarthy et al, 2007;Piccand et al, 2013; C. Heublein, F. Dohme-Meier, K.-H. Südekum, R. M. Bruckmaier (Vetsuisse Faculty, Bern, Switzerland), S. Thanner (Agroscope, Posieux, Switzerland), and F. Schori, unpublished data], but to the authors' knowledge, no studies considered differences in diet selection on pasture. In New Zealand, Holstein cows are bred for an efficient use of pasture and have a higher feeding drive (McCarthy et al, 2007).…”