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Reasons that cows in Dairy Herd Improvement programs exit the herd (2013)


TABLE 1. Percentages of cows (ALL BREEDS and CROSSBREDS) completing lactations.
 
TABLE 2. Percentages of cows (ALL BREEDS and CROSSBREDS) leaving the herd except for dairy purposes.
 
TABLE 3. Percentages of HOLSTEIN cows completing lactations.
 
TABLE 4. Percentages of JERSEY cows completing lactations.
 
TABLE 5. Percentages of AYRSHIRE, BROWN SWISS, GUERNSEY, MILKING SHORTHORN, and RED & WHITE cows completing lactations.
 
TABLE 6. Percentages of CROSSBRED cows completing lactations.
 
TABLE 7. Percentages of HOLSTEIN cows leaving the herd except for dairy purposes.
 
TABLE 8. Percentages of JERSEY cows leaving the herd except for dairy purposes.
 
TABLE 9. Percentages of AYRSHIRE, BROWN SWISS, GUERNSEY, MILKING SHORTHORN, and RED & WHITE cows leaving the herd except for dairy purposes.
 
TABLE 10. Percentages of CROSSBRED cows leaving the herd except for dairy purposes.
 

NOTE: Crossbreds were categorized into 2 groups depending on the extent of heterosis: those with heterosis of >90% (CB90) and those with heterosis of 50 to 90% (CB50). The CB90 group was primarily first-generation (F1) crosses between 2 breeds or offspring of a third-breed sire and an F1-crossbred dam of 2 other breeds; the CB50 group was backcross offspring from an F1 dam and a sire from 1 of the F1 parent breeds.

For additional background information, see AIPL Research Report CULL1 (9-09).

TABLE 1. Percentages of cows (ALL BREEDS and CROSSBREDS) completing lactations by reason for termination and breed (2013).
 
SAS Output
Destination code Termination code Ayrshire Brown Swiss Guernsey Holstein Jersey Milking Shorthorn Red & White CB90 CB50 All
Stayed in herd Lactation ended normally (0) 66.8 62.5 61.9 63.1 67.0 63.3 63.1 68.7 68.9 63.7
  Lactation ended with abortion (8) 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3
Sold for dairy (2)   5.1 6.0 7.1 3.0 6.7 7.4 4.9 2.7 3.5 3.4
Sold for slaughter Locomotion problems (1) 1.2 1.8 1.2 1.7 0.5 0.8 1.9 1.2 1.2 1.5
  Low production (3) 4.4 4.8 3.1 6.8 5.8 5.9 4.1 6.7 6.6 6.7
  Reproduction problems (4) 6.4 6.8 6.0 5.3 3.4 5.9 7.6 3.9 4.0 5.1
  Unspecified reasons (5) 8.8 9.2 10.7 10.2 7.9 8.5 9.1 7.9 7.2 9.9
  Mastitis or high SCS (7) 2.4 3.0 2.7 4.3 3.3 3.3 3.9 3.9 3.8 4.2
  Undesirable conformation (A)       0.0 0.0     0.0 0.0 0.0
  Bad behavior (B) 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0
Died (6)   4.5 5.4 6.8 5.4 5.1 4.3 4.9 4.6 4.5 5.3
Records (no.)   8,598 22,736 7,217 3,287,872 297,081 3,199 3,937 111,309 49,896 3,836,519
Herds (no.)   924 2,020 555 16,918 4,063 483 735 6,127 4,471 40,335

 
1Breed is determined from individual cow records, and cow's breed is used to determine the breed for herd counts. For example, a Holstein herd with a few Jersey cows would be included in the herd count for both Holsteins and Jerseys. The total number of herds across all breeds is much higher than the actual number of herds in Dairy Herd Improvement programs.




TABLE 2. Percentages of cows (ALL BREEDS and CROSSBREDS) leaving the herd except for dairy purposes by reason for termination and breed (2013).
 
SAS Output
Termination code Ayrshire Brown Swiss Guernsey Holstein Jersey Milking Shorthorn Red & White CB90 CB50 All
Locomotion problems (1) 4.2 5.8 4.0 4.9 1.8 2.7 6.0 4.1 4.3 4.7
Low production (3) 15.9 15.4 10.3 20.2 22.3 20.5 12.9 23.6 24.1 20.4
Reproduction problems (4) 22.9 21.9 19.7 15.7 13.0 20.6 24.0 13.9 14.6 15.5
Unspecified reasons (5) 31.7 29.5 34.8 30.2 30.5 29.3 28.8 28.0 26.5 30.2
Mastitis or high SCS (7) 8.7 9.7 9.0 12.8 12.9 11.5 12.4 13.8 13.8 12.8
Undesirable conformation (A)       0.0 0.0     0.0 0.0 0.0
Bad behavior (B) 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.4 0.4 0.1 0.2 0.1
Died (6) 16.2 17.4 22.2 16.1 19.5 15.0 15.5 16.4 16.6 16.3
Records (no.) 2,391 7,061 2,212 1,103,819 77,232 924 1,245 31,446 13,605 1,253,355
Herds (no.) 548 1,233 375 16,282 2,912 259 415 4,004 2,700 31,119

 
1Breed is determined from individual cow records, and cow's breed is used to determine the breed for herd counts. For example, a Holstein herd with a few Jersey cows would be included in the herd count for both Holsteins and Jerseys. The total number of herds across all breeds is much higher than the actual number of herds in Dairy Herd Improvement programs.



TABLE 3. Percentages of HOLSTEIN cows completing lactations by reason for termination and parity (2013).
 
SAS Output
Destination code Termination code Parity 1 Parity 2 Parity 3 Parity 4 Parity 5 Parity 6+ All parities
Stayed in herd Lactation ended normally (0) 73.1 65.8 57.5 49.7 44.0 38.0 63.1
  Lactation ended with abortion (8) 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3
Sold for dairy (2)   4.1 2.7 2.3 2.2 2.2 2.4 3.0
Sold for slaughter Locomotion problems (1) 0.8 1.3 2.1 3.0 3.5 3.9 1.7
  Low production (3) 5.6 6.8 7.3 7.9 8.5 9.6 6.8
  Reproduction problems (4) 4.2 5.6 5.8 6.0 6.3 6.7 5.3
  Unspecified reasons (5) 6.7 8.9 12.1 15.0 17.3 19.6 10.2
  Mastitis or high SCS (7) 1.9 3.9 5.8 7.2 8.1 8.8 4.3
  Undesirable conformation (A) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
  Bad behavior (B) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Died (6)   3.2 4.6 6.8 8.7 10.0 10.8 5.4
Records (no.)   1,170,410 892,222 598,428 340,752 168,716 117,344 3,287,872





TABLE 4. Percentages of JERSEY cows completing lactations by reason for termination and parity (2013).
 
SAS Output
Destination code Termination code Parity 1 Parity 2 Parity 3 Parity 4 Parity 5 Parity 6+ All parities
Stayed in herd Lactation ended normally (0) 72.0 71.8 66.3 59.9 53.2 46.6 67.0
  Lactation ended with abortion (8) 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3
Sold for dairy (2)   11.0 5.8 3.9 3.1 3.4 3.8 6.7
Sold for slaughter Locomotion problems (1) 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.8 1.1 1.4 0.5
  Low production (3) 4.8 5.9 6.0 6.5 7.5 7.7 5.8
  Reproduction problems (4) 2.7 3.3 3.6 3.9 4.7 4.7 3.4
  Unspecified reasons (5) 4.6 6.2 9.0 11.8 14.5 18.3 7.9
  Mastitis or high SCS (7) 1.7 2.6 4.2 5.5 6.0 7.1 3.3
  Undesirable conformation (A) 0.0 0.0   0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
  Bad behavior (B) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0   0.0
Died (6)   2.8 3.9 6.2 8.2 9.2 10.2 5.1
Records (no.)   103,859 74,212 50,306 33,036 18,780 16,888 297,081





TABLE 5. Percentages of other purebred cows (AYRSHIRE, BROWN SWISS, GUERNSEY, MILKING SHORTHORN, and RED & WHITE) completing lactations by destination category, reason for termination, and parity (2013).
 
SAS Output
Destination code Termination code Parity 1 Parity 2 Parity 3 Parity 4 Parity 5 Parity 6+ All parities
Stayed in herd Lactation ended normally (0) 71.9 67.5 62.9 56.7 50.9 46.1 64.6
  Lactation ended with abortion (8) 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4
Sold for dairy (2)   5.9 4.7 4.0 3.9 3.2 3.6 4.7
Sold for slaughter Locomotion problems (1) 0.8 1.1 1.6 2.2 2.3 2.9 1.4
  Low production (3) 4.5 5.6 5.8 6.1 7.0 7.2 5.5
  Reproduction problems (4) 4.1 5.4 5.8 6.1 6.8 6.4 5.3
  Unspecified reasons (5) 7.0 8.6 9.8 12.3 14.1 16.8 9.6
  Mastitis or high SCS (7) 2.2 2.8 4.1 5.0 6.9 6.6 3.6
  Undesirable conformation (A)         0.0   0.0
  Bad behavior (B) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0
Died (6)   3.1 3.9 5.5 7.3 8.3 9.9 5.0
Records (no.)   29,371 22,163 15,537 10,330 5,870 5,136 88,407





TABLE 6. Percentages of CROSSBRED cows completing lactations by destination category, reason for termination, and parity (2013).
 
SAS Output
Destination code Termination code Parity 1 Parity 2 Parity 3 Parity 4 Parity 5 Parity 6+ All parities
Stayed in herd Lactation ended normally (0) 76.7 71.2 63.2 56.3 51.1 44.5 68.7
  Lactation ended with abortion (8) 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3
Sold for dairy (2)   4.2 2.4 2.1 1.9 2.4 2.8 3.0
Sold for slaughter Locomotion problems (1) 0.6 0.9 1.4 2.1 3.1 3.4 1.2
  Low production (3) 5.2 7.2 7.7 7.8 8.2 7.8 6.6
  Reproduction problems (4) 3.2 4.0 4.4 4.5 5.3 6.1 3.9
  Unspecified reasons (5) 4.9 6.8 9.6 12.4 13.2 16.3 7.7
  Mastitis or high SCS (7) 2.1 3.4 5.2 6.6 7.3 8.8 3.9
  Undesirable conformation (A) 0.0   0.0 0.0     0.0
  Bad behavior (B) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0
Died (6)   2.7 3.8 6.0 8.0 9.1 9.9 4.6
Records (no.)   60,638 44,801 28,226 15,546 7,384 4,610 161,205





TABLE 7. Percentages of HOLSTEIN cows leaving the herd except for dairy purposes by reason for termination and parity (2013).
 
SAS Output
Termination code Parity 1 Parity 2 Parity 3 Parity 4 Parity 5 Parity 6+ All parities
Locomotion problems (1) 3.6 4.2 5.3 6.3 6.6 6.6 4.9
Low production (3) 25.0 21.9 18.2 16.5 15.8 16.1 20.2
Reproduction problems (4) 18.8 18.0 14.6 12.5 11.7 11.3 15.7
Unspecified reasons (5) 29.7 28.7 30.3 31.4 32.2 33.0 30.2
Mastitis or high SCS (7) 8.6 12.5 14.6 15.1 15.0 14.8 12.8
Undesirable conformation (A) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Bad behavior (B) 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Died (6) 14.1 14.6 16.9 18.2 18.7 18.1 16.1
Records (no.) 263,259 278,347 238,974 163,032 90,408 69,799 1,103,819





TABLE 8. Percentages of JERSEY cows leaving the herd except for dairy purposes by reason for termination and parity (2013).
 
SAS Output
Termination code Parity 1 Parity 2 Parity 3 Parity 4 Parity 5 Parity 6+ All parities
Locomotion problems (1) 1.0 1.4 1.7 2.1 2.6 2.8 1.8
Low production (3) 28.8 26.6 20.5 17.7 17.3 15.5 22.3
Reproduction problems (4) 15.9 15.0 12.2 10.7 10.9 9.6 13.0
Unspecified reasons (5) 27.4 27.8 30.6 32.2 33.7 37.0 30.5
Mastitis or high SCS (7) 10.2 11.6 14.1 15.0 14.0 14.4 12.9
Undesirable conformation (A) 0.0 0.0   0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Bad behavior (B) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0   0.0
Died (6) 16.7 17.6 20.8 22.4 21.5 20.7 19.5
Records (no.) 17,374 16,421 14,864 12,149 8,088 8,336 77,232





TABLE 9. Percentages of other purebred cows (AYRSHIRE, BROWN SWISS, GUERNSEY, MILKING SHORTHORN, and RED & WHITE) leaving the herd except for dairy purposes by reason for termination and parity (2013).
 
SAS Output
Termination code Parity 1 Parity 2 Parity 3 Parity 4 Parity 5 Parity 6+ All parities
Locomotion problems (1) 3.6 3.8 4.9 5.6 5.0 5.9 4.6
Low production (3) 20.8 20.3 17.7 15.6 15.4 14.3 18.1
Reproduction problems (4) 19.0 19.8 17.8 15.6 15.0 12.9 17.5
Unspecified reasons (5) 32.3 31.3 30.0 31.6 31.1 33.7 31.6
Mastitis or high SCS (7) 9.9 10.3 12.5 12.8 15.1 13.1 11.8
Undesirable conformation (A)         0.0   0.0
Bad behavior (B) 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1
Died (6) 14.3 14.4 17.0 18.6 18.2 19.9 16.4
Records (no.) 6,399 6,079 5,074 4,029 2,668 2,566 26,815





TABLE 10. Percentages of CROSSBRED cows leaving the herd except for dairy purposes by reason for termination and parity (2013).
 
SAS Output
Termination code Parity 1 Parity 2 Parity 3 Parity 4 Parity 5 Parity 6+ All parities
Locomotion problems (1) 3.3 3.3 4.1 5.1 6.6 6.5 4.2
Low production (3) 27.5 27.6 22.3 18.8 17.8 14.9 23.7
Reproduction problems (4) 17.1 15.3 12.8 10.9 11.5 11.7 14.1
Unspecified reasons (5) 26.3 26.1 28.0 29.9 28.6 31.1 27.6
Mastitis or high SCS (7) 11.1 13.0 15.0 15.8 15.7 16.7 13.8
Undesirable conformation (A) 0.0   0.0 0.0     0.0
Bad behavior (B) 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Died (6) 14.5 14.5 17.5 19.3 19.7 18.9 16.5
Records (no.) 11,354 11,687 9,708 6,473 3,416 2,413 45,051




Contact: Jan Wright, 301-504-8669, jan.wright@ars.usda.gov Last Modified: 07/16/2014