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An assessment of the production, reproduction, and functional traits of Holstein-Friesian, Jersey × Holstein-Friesian, and Norwegian Red × (Jersey × Holstein-Friesian) cows in pasture-based systems
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2020-04-03
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McClearn B, Delaby L, Gilliland TJ, Guy C, Dineen M, Coughlan F, Buckley F, McCarthy B. An assessment of the production, reproduction, and functional traits of Holstein-Friesian, Jersey × Holstein-Friesian, and Norwegian Red × (Jersey × Holstein-Friesian) cows in pasture-based systems. Journal of Dairy Science 2020;103(6):5200-5214; doi https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-17476.
Abstract
Pasture-based production systems typically require
highly fertile, healthy, and robust genetics, with greater
emphasis on milk solids (MSo; kg of fat + protein) production
as opposed to milk yield. This study assessed
milk production, production efficiency, reproductive
performance, body weight (BW), body condition score,
and functional traits in 3 different dairy cow genotypes:
Holstein-Friesian (HF), Jersey × Holstein-Friesian
(JEX), and Norwegian Red × (Jersey × Holstein-
Friesian) (3-way). The 3 genotypes were rotationally
grazed on 4 different grazing treatments after calving
in spring and were stocked at a rate of 2.75 cows/ha.
Holstein-Friesian cows produced higher daily and total
milk yields compared with JEX and 3-way cows (5,718
vs. 5,476 and 5,365 kg/cow, respectively). However,
JEX and 3-way cows had higher milk fat and protein
contents (4.86 and 4.75%, respectively, for JEX and
3.87 and 3.88%, respectively, for 3-way) compared with
HF (4.52 and 3.72%), resulting in similar MSo yield
for JEX and HF (469 and 460 kg/cow) and slightly
lower MSo yield for 3-way (453 kg/cow) compared
with JEX. As parity increased, milk and MSo yield per
cow increased. Reproductive performance was not significantly
different between the 3 genotypes, which had
similar 24-d submission rates, 6-wk pregnancy rates,
and overall pregnancy rates over the 4-yr period. No
difference in calving difficulty, incidence of mastitis, or
incidence of lameness was observed among the 3 genotypes.
Body weight was significantly different among
all 3 genotypes, with HF being the heaviest followed by
3-way and JEX (530, 499, and 478 kg, respectively), and 3-way cows had a higher body condition score throughout
lactation compared with HF and JEX cows. The
differences in BW coupled with similar MSo production
resulted in JEX cows having the highest production
efficiency (4.58 kg of MSo/kg of metabolic BW), 3-way
cows being intermediate (4.30 kg of MSo/kg of metabolic
BW), and HF cows having the lowest (4.16 kg of
MSo/kg of metabolic BW). In conclusion, HF herds
with poor reproductive performance and low milk fat
and protein contents are likely to benefit considerably
from crossbreeding with Jersey, and all herds are likely
to benefit in terms of production efficiency. However,
where herd performance, particularly in relation to reproductive
performance, is comparable with HF in the
current study, crossbreeding with Jersey or Norwegian
Red is unlikely to lead to significant improvements in
overall herd performance.