To reveal the characteristics of health problem and culling for dairy calves and replacement heifers in Holstein population in Ningxia area,the birth,health,and culling records of 12 large-scale dairy farms from 2013 to 2020 were collected. The main health problem of dairy cattle until yearling and the relationships between case number and month age,and calendar month were investigated. Furthermore,the culling characteristics and the relationships between culling risk and calendar month age,month were investigated,respectively. In Holstein population in Ningxia,diarrhea and pneumonia with the highest case number were the main health problem in dairy calves and replacement heifers before yearling,which accounted for a proportion of 75% in all health events. Diarrhea occurs mainly in calves less than 2 months old,while pneumonia cases were distributed in all stages before yearling,and a decrease trend of case number with the increase of age was found for pneumonia. Among different months within a year, there were large differences on the case number for diarrhea and pneumonia. The diarrhea has more cases from January to February,and pneumonia has more cases from January to June,which means that winter is a high-risk season for the health management in dairy farms in Ningxia. When dairy cattles were culled before yearling, the average culling age was 160.21 ± 110.00 day, and the culling risk gradually decreases as the age increase of dairy calves and replacement heifers. Among various months within a year,more dairy calves and replacement heifers were culled from August to December. This study reveals the characteristics of health events and culling for replacement calves and dairy heifers before yearling in Ningxia Holstein population,and provides useful information for the management of dairy calves and replacement heifers in large-scale dairy farms in this area.
ZHANG Hailiang, NING Jingyang, WANG Ao, TIAN Jia, ZHANG Weixin, WEN Wan, WANG Yachun
. A Study on Health Problem and Culling in Holstein Replacement Cattle in Ningxia Area[J]. China Dairy, 2021
, 0(10)
: 86
-91
.
DOI: 10.12377/1671-4393.21.10.17
[1] Pritchard T,Coffey M, Mrode R,et al.Understanding the genetics of survival in dairy cows[J]. Journal of Dairy Science,2013,96(5):3296-3309.
[2] Wathes D C,Brickell J S,Bourne N E,et al.Factors influencing heifer survival and fertility on commercial dairy farms[J]. Animal,2008,2(8):1135-1143.
[3] Heinrichs A J.Raising dairy replacements to meet the needs of the 21st century[J]. Journal of Dairy Science,1993,76(10):3179-3187.
[4] Zhang H,Wang Y,Chang Y,et al.Mortality-culling rates of dairy calves and replacement heifers and its risk factors in Holstein cattle[J]. Animals (Basel),2019,9(10):730.
[5] Gulliksen S M,Lie K I,Løken T,et al.Calf mortality in Norwegian dairy herds[J]. Journal of Dairy Science,2009,92(6):2782-2795.
[6] Neupane M,Hutchison J L,Van Tassell C P,et al. Genomic evaluation of dairy heifer livability[J]. Journal of Dairy Science,2021,104(8):8959-8965.
[7] van Pelt M L,Eding H, Vessies P,et al. Developing a genetic evaluation for calf survival during rearing in the Netherlands[Z]. 2012.
[8] Reiten M, Rousing T, Thomsen P T,et al.Mortality, diarrhea and respiratory disease in Danish dairy heifer calves: Effect of production system and season[J]. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 2018, 155:21-26.
[9] Svensson C,Linder A,Olsson S O,et al.Mortality in Swedish dairy calves and replacement heifers[J]. Journal of Dairy Science,2006,89(12):4769-4777.
[10] 宫玲,慕长顺. 严重影响后备牛发育的三种疾病及诊治[J]. 饲料博览,2019(2):71.
[11] 张海亮,陈紫薇,师睿,等. 宁夏地区荷斯坦牛成母牛淘汰情况及长寿性影响因素分析[J].中国畜牧兽医,2021,48(1):200-208.
[12] Virtala A M K,Mechor G D,Gröhn Y T,et al. The effect of calfhood diseases on growth of female dairy calves during the first 3 months of life in New York State[J]. Journal of Dairy Science, 1996,79(6):1040-1049.
[13] Vinet A,Leclerc H,Marquis F,et al.Genetic analysis of calf health in Charolais beef cattle[J]. Journal of Dairy Science,2018,96(4):1246-1258.
[14] Virtala A,Mechor G D,Grohn Y T, et al.Morbidity from non-respiratory diseases and mortality in dairy heifers during the first three months of life[J]. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 1996,208(12):2043.
[15] Condon T,Murphy C,Sleator R D,et al.Genetic and non-genetic factors associated with health and vitality traits in beef calves[J]. Journal of Animal Science,2021,99(7):1-11.
[16] Menzies F D,Bryson D G,Mccallion T,et al.Mortality in cattle up to two years old in Northern Ireland during 1992[J]. Veterinary Record,1996,138(25):618-622.
[17] Fuerst-Waltl B,Fuerst C.Mortality in Austrian dual purpose Fleckvieh calves and heifers[J]. Livestock Science,2010,132(1-3):80-86.
[18] Mccorquodale C E,Sewalem A, Miglior F, et al.Short communication:analysis of health and survival in a population of Ontario Holstein heifer calves[J]. Journal of Dairy Science,2013,96(3): 1880-1885.
