Fertility and health traits of dairy cows on farms with short versus long productive lifespan profiles

Summary in the original language of the document

We compared fertility traits, health indicators and health management routines of Swiss dairy farms characterized by short versus long productive lifespans (SPL versus LPL). We analysed herdbook data from 142 Swiss dairy farms (n=142), farm questionnaire data (n=67), veterinary treatment data (n=64 farms) and data obtained during farm visits (n=30). LPL farms had a better fertility performance, i.e. lower number of inseminations per heifer, shorter average number of days open and shorter calving intervals. Number of antibiotic veterinary treatments due to fertility and other problems (i.e. others than fertility, udder or locomotion problems) were by tendency lower on LPL farms, while other veterinary medical treatments did not differ by productive lifespans. Although average somatic cell score and proportions of test day records with elevated somatic cell counts were significantly higher on LPL farms, udder health indicators remained within a healthy range and increases were not accompanied by higher treatment incidences for clinical mastitis. Moreover, the deterioration of udder health parameters was smaller than what could have been expected due to the age difference between contrasting lifespans. Locomotion scores and lameness incidence did not differ by productive lifespan profile. Cow health management routines did not significantly differ between farms of contrasting lifespan profiles, apart from a slightly higher proportion of LPL farms practicing abrupt drying off. We conclude that a longer productive lifespan is not at the expense of health, even if the SCC level increased with age. A focus on fertility, udder and claw health is crucial when aiming at a long productive lifespan.