The relationship between energy balance after calving and reproductive functions in Holstein dairy cows treated by the OVSYNCH system

Abstract

DOLEŽALOVÁ MARTINA, STÁDNÍK LUDĚK, NEJDLOVÁ MICHAELA, NĚMEČKOVÁ DANA, BERAN JAN, DUCHÁČEK JAROMÍR: The relationship between energy balance a er calving and reproductive functions in Holstein dairy cows treated by the OVSYNCH system. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, 2013, LXI, No. 3, pp. 601-610 The objective of this research was to evaluate the relationship between the course and the depth of negative energy balance (NEB) rated by changes of the body condition a er calving and subsequent recovery of reproductive abilities of Holstein dairy cows treated by OVSYNCH. The body condition was evaluated by the BCS system one week before calving and subsequently at 30-day intervals for the period of 6 months of lactation. Recovery of ovarian functions was evaluated by the results of ultrasound examination of all the dairy cows' ovaries in two controls a er calving. The fi rst one was performed on an average of 67 days a er calving, and the second at a 60-day interval. The occurrence of individual fi ndings -the presence of corpus luteum, ovarian cysts or ovaries without fi ndings was evaluated as an eff ect of NEB on the recovery of the ovarian cycle of dairy cows and their subsequent possibility of conception. The suitable cows were treated by the OVSYNCH system a er the 1 st and 2 nd ultrasound examination. Therefore, the insemination interval was calculated and in the case of dairy cows, pregnancy detection, also the number of services per conception and the length of open days. Twice performed hormonal treatment of 73.6% of the animals delayed the period by 50.2 days. In all, 202 dairy cows calved in the period from 29 th July 2011 to 7 th February 2012 were included in this observation. Signifi cant eff ects of the body condition change on the ovarian activity as documented by sonographic examination and reproductive indicators appeared primarily in the second month of lactation. The best reproductive indicators were found in cows with the lowest body condition change, thus with a small decline or even increase of body condition score (−0.0 to +0.75 points, P < 0.05). On the contrary, the worst level of indicators of recovery of the reproduction functions were documented in the dairy cows with the most marked decline of BCS (P < 0.05). dairy cattle, energy balance, body condition, ovarian functions, reproductionThe most common problem in dairy cows is health and fertility (Garnsworthy, 1988). Milk yield in dairy cows increased through intensive breeding (Říha et al., 2003) as a result of one-sided selection; however, fertility and reproductive parameters simultaneously declined in most herds (Motyčka et al., 2005). The rapid increase of energy requirements a er calving are related to the start of lactation and result in a negative energy balance (Říha et al., 2000). The result of the NEB eff ect at the beginning of lactation is reduction of conception ability, which causes prolongation of the calving interval (Collard et al., 2000) and is related to deterioration o...

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