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Reproductive status of cows in Dairy Herd Improvement programs and bred using artificial insemination (2013)

H.D. Norman, L.M. Walton, and João Dürr

Background

Measures of reproductive performance are now available from most Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) herds, whereas historically comprehensive documentation of reproductive performance was available for only days open or calving interval or from a limited number of research herds. Nieuwhof et al. (1989, Journal of Dairy Science 72:685-692) and Hare et al. (2006, Journal of Dairy Science 89:365-370) reported averages for age at first calving and calving interval for U.S. DHI herds. More recently, Norman et al. (2009, Journal of Dairy Science 92:3517-3528) provided a comprehensive summary from 1996 through 2007 of 9 reproductive traits for U.S. Holsteins and Jerseys in DHI herds.

More selection emphasis has been placed on fertility in recent years (Cole et al., 2009, AIPL Research Report NM$4) following a steady decline in a few of the important reproductive traits. For example, days open, which is used to calculate pregnancy rate for genetic evaluations increased by 37 days for Holsteins from 1960 through 2000; around 75% of that increase in days open was attributed to genetics (Trend in daughter pregnancy rate for Holsteins or Red & Whites, April 2015), a consequence of selection for higher milk yield traits.

The purpose of this 2015 annual report is to provide updates for some of the important reproductive traits. The phenotypic averages provided include both genetic and environmental differences. A few traits have shown improvement since 2003; others deteriorated for a time, but all now show some slight or considerable improvement. Obviously, the trends for Holsteins reflect the U.S. dairy industry quite well, because they account for a high percentage of the cow population. Considerable fluctuation across time is evident for a few of the other breeds, most likely because of their limited numbers.

Contact: Duane Norman, 301-525-2006, duane.norman@uscdcb.com

Table Summaries

TABLE 1. 20131 REPRODUCTIVE TRAIT AVERAGES and standard errors by breed.
 
SAS Output
Trait Ayrshire Brown Swiss Guernsey Holstein Jersey Milking Shorthorn Red & White
Breedings per conception 2.0 ± 0.02 2.4 ± 0.02 2.5 ± 0.04 2.5 ± 0.00 2.2 ± 0.00 1.9 ± 0.04 2.2 ± 0.05
Days from calving to first breeding 91 ± 0.7 88 ± 0.4 90 ± 0.7 78 ± 0.0 74 ± 0.1 91 ± 1.4 84 ± 1.0
Days from calving to last breeding 126 ± 1.3 142 ± 1.1 142 ± 1.9 126 ± 0.1 110 ± 0.2 124 ± 2.5 126 ± 2.4
Days from first to last breeding 44 ± 1.1 66 ± 0.9 64 ± 1.7 58 ± 0.1 45 ± 0.2 39 ± 1.9 50 ± 2.0
Conception rate for first breedings 0.40 ± .008 0.30 ± .005 0.28 ± .009 0.33 ± .000 0.42 ± .001 0.40 ± .016 0.35 ± .014
Conception rate for all breedings 0.38 ± .006 0.27 ± .003 0.27 ± .005 0.31 ± .000 0.37 ± .001 0.38 ± .011 0.33 ± .009
Calving interval 418 ± 1.8 430 ± 1.3 433 ± 2.4 404 ± 0.1 390 ± 0.2 404 ± 2.9 409 ± 3.0

1Cows first bred in 2013 for all traits except calving interval; for calving interval, cows with first calving for the interval in 2012.
  • The fewest breedings per conception was 1.9 for Milking Shorthorns; the highest number was 2.5 for Guernseys and Holsteins.
  • Days from calving to first breeding averaged 74 for Jerseys and 78 for Holsteins; the other breed averages ranged from 84 to 91 days.
  • Days from calving to last breeding were fewest for Jerseys (110) and highest for Brown Swiss and Guernseys (142).
  • Days from first to last breeding, the breeding interval, were fewest for Milking Shorthorn (39) and highest for Guernseys (64) and Brown Swiss (66); Ayrshires and Jerseys averaged 44 and 45 and Holsteins averaged 58 days.
  • Conception rate for first breedings was highest (42%) for Jerseys and lowest (28%) for Guernseys; Holsteins averaged 33%.
  • Breeds had similar results for conception rate for all breedings as for first breedings, although slightly lower.
  • Calving interval (days) was shortest for Jerseys (390) and longest for Guernseys (433) and Brown Swiss (430); Holsteins and Milking Shorthorns averaged 404.


 
TABLE 2. Average numbers of BREEDINGS PER CONCEPTION by breed and year of first breeding.
 
SAS Output
Breed 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Ayrshire 2.1 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.0 1.9 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0
Brown Swiss 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.4
Guernsey 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.4 2.4 2.5
Holstein 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5
Jersey 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.2
Milking Shorthorn 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.8 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.7 1.8 1.6 1.9
Red & White 2.4 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.2

  • Breedings per conception (or number of services/conception) increased by 0.2 after 2003 for Holsteins followed by a decrease of 0.1 in 2007. The Brown Swiss and Jersey breeds, after early increases, also have shown decreases of 0.1 or 0.2 services/conception since 2007.

 
TABLE 3. Average DAYS FROM CALVING TO FIRST BREEDING by breed and breeding year.
 
SAS Output
Breed 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Ayrshire 98 96 94 94 94 93 92 94 95 95 91
Brown Swiss 98 93 93 92 92 92 90 89 89 87 88
Guernsey 99 94 91 89 94 95 88 90 92 93 90
Holstein 90 88 87 86 85 83 81 81 79 78 78
Jersey 87 86 86 84 83 78 76 77 76 75 74
Milking Shorthorn 100 92 98 91 96 93 88 94 102 95 91
Red & White 96 96 97 94 87 86 86 84 85 86 84

  • Days from calving to first breeding declined by 7 to 13 days for all breeds since 2003.
  • Norman et al. (2009) indicated that much of the recent decline has resulted from the adoption of heat synchronization and timed AI.

 
TABLE 4. Average DAYS FROM CALVING TO LAST BREEDING by breed and year of first breeding.
 
SAS Output
Breed 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Ayrshire 143 134 134 132 134 131 132 133 135 134 126
Brown Swiss 161 150 157 160 155 152 146 147 145 141 142
Guernsey 157 148 153 150 152 149 147 145 144 145 142
Holstein 147 143 146 145 141 136 133 132 130 127 126
Jersey 130 129 132 130 126 121 116 115 113 110 110
Milking Shorthorn 130 122 117 118 123 122 121 124 134 120 124
Red & White 157 143 148 146 143 133 136 129 127 127 126

  • Days from calving to last breeding declined from 6 to 31 days for all breeds over the last 10 years.
  • The Holstein average was 147 days in 2003 but had decreased to 126 days by 2013. The Jersey average declined from 130 to 110 days across the same 10 years.

 
TABLE 5. Average DAYS FROM FIRST TO LAST BREEDING by breed and year of first breeding.
 
SAS Output
Breed 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Ayrshire 54 47 50 49 48 42 48 51 48 48 44
Brown Swiss 78 72 79 81 78 73 69 73 69 67 66
Guernsey 77 72 76 75 76 71 73 71 65 64 64
Holstein 67 67 71 70 67 63 62 62 61 59 58
Jersey 53 53 57 57 54 51 48 47 46 43 45
Milking Shorthorn 30 34 24 36 35 37 42 35 37 29 39
Red & White 71 58 59 62 64 56 57 53 48 48 50

  • Breeding intervals are lower in 2013 by 8 to 21 days than in 2003 for all breeds except Milking Shorthorn which increased by 9 days.
  • Breeding intervals increased somewhat for Brown Swiss, Holsteins and Jerseys through 2005 or 2006, before declining.

 
TABLE 6. Average CONCEPTION RATES FOR FIRST BREEDINGS by breed and breeding year.
 
SAS Output
Breed 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Ayrshire 0.35 0.38 0.37 0.36 0.37 0.39 0.38 0.36 0.37 0.37 0.40
Brown Swiss 0.29 0.28 0.27 0.27 0.28 0.27 0.29 0.29 0.29 0.30 0.30
Guernsey 0.28 0.28 0.27 0.26 0.27 0.26 0.25 0.27 0.28 0.29 0.28
Holstein 0.32 0.33 0.31 0.31 0.32 0.32 0.32 0.32 0.32 0.33 0.33
Jersey 0.40 0.41 0.40 0.39 0.39 0.39 0.40 0.41 0.41 0.43 0.42
Milking Shorthorn 0.32 0.43 0.45 0.40 0.40 0.41 0.38 0.43 0.40 0.43 0.40
Red & White 0.30 0.33 0.33 0.30 0.28 0.33 0.35 0.33 0.35 0.37 0.35

  • Holstein conception rates for first breedings were lowest (31%) in 2005 and 2006; the averages were highest (33%) in 2004, 2012, and 2013. Jersey conception rates were lowest at 39% in 2006 through 2008, and increased to 43% in 2012. Although quite variable across years, conception rates for first breedings were quite high in Milking Shorthorn.

 
TABLE 7. Average CONCEPTION RATES FOR ALL BREEDINGS by breed and year of first breeding.
 
SAS Output
Breed 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Ayrshire 0.34 0.36 0.35 0.35 0.36 0.39 0.37 0.36 0.36 0.36 0.38
Brown Swiss 0.26 0.26 0.25 0.24 0.25 0.26 0.27 0.27 0.27 0.27 0.27
Guernsey 0.26 0.26 0.25 0.25 0.26 0.24 0.24 0.25 0.26 0.27 0.27
Holstein 0.30 0.31 0.29 0.29 0.30 0.30 0.31 0.30 0.30 0.31 0.31
Jersey 0.37 0.37 0.35 0.35 0.35 0.35 0.36 0.37 0.37 0.38 0.37
Milking Shorthorn 0.34 0.41 0.44 0.37 0.38 0.40 0.35 0.40 0.40 0.42 0.38
Red & White 0.29 0.30 0.32 0.31 0.29 0.31 0.34 0.34 0.33 0.34 0.33

  • The conception rates for all breedings were lowest for most breeds from 2005 to 2009.
  • The conception rates for all breedings in 2013 were lower (1 to 5%) than those from first breedings in all breeds.

 
    TABLE 8. Average CALVING INTERVALS (days) by breed and year of first calving for the interval.
     
    SAS Output
    Breed 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
    Ayrshire 420 421 420 421 416 418 413 418 421 418
    Brown Swiss 436 443 444 451 449 448 440 433 434 430
    Guernsey 434 437 440 438 440 441 435 432 436 433
    Holstein 425 422 423 423 418 417 412 409 408 404
    Jersey 411 412 411 411 402 400 396 393 392 390
    Milking Shorthorn 404 407 409 403 418 411 408 403 420 404
    Red & White 430 431 434 436 422 417 412 416 416 409

  • The long-term deterioration in calving interval described by Nieuwhof et al. (1989) and Hare et al. (2006) often continued into 2005 or 2006 but since has been reversed.
    • Holstein calving intervals averaged 425 days in 2003 but has improved to 404 days in 2012.
    • Jersey calving intervals improved from 412 days in 2004 to 390 days in 2012.
    • Brown Swiss calving intervals improved from 451 days in 2007 to 430 days in 2012.
  • The positive economic impact from these reduced calving intervals cannot be overemphasized, as it reflects a valuable measure of the overall reproductive picture.
  • Continued improvement of this trait is especially important to herds engaged in seasonal calving.

 
TABLE 9. Numbers of RECORDS (2003–12): A) AYRSHIRE, B) BROWN SWISS, C) GUERNSEY, D) HOLSTEIN, E) JERSEY), F) MILKING SHORTHORN, and G) RED & WHITE used to calculate reproductive statistics by breed, trait, and year..
  • Information in Tables 1 through 8 was based on the numbers of records in Tables 9A through 9G.
  • The number of reproduction records available through DHIA has more than doubled from 2003 to 2013 revealing that more dairy producers are taking advantage of this management option.
  • Over 90% of the reproductive data each year came from the Holstein breed.
  • Jersey reproductive records increased from 5% in 2003 to 8% in 2013.

A) AYRSHIRE
 
SAS Output
Trait 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Breedings per conception 2,903 3,603 3,631 3,735 3,638 3,555 3,197 3,735 3,752 3,932 3,642
Days from calving to first breeding 2,998 3,742 3,749 3,857 3,752 3,715 3,310 3,880 3,914 4,076 3,753
Days from calving to last breeding 2,121 2,601 2,645 2,654 2,699 2,614 2,366 2,681 2,761 2,872 2,730
Days from first to last breeding 2,903 3,603 3,631 3,735 3,638 3,555 3,197 3,735 3,752 3,932 3,642
Conception rate for first breedings 2,560 3,340 3,357 3,461 3,358 3,198 2,918 3,407 3,472 3,610 3,356
Conception rate for all breedings 5,262 7,240 7,556 7,848 7,291 7,016 6,116 7,616 7,627 7,972 7,320
Calving interval 1,343 1,906 1,913 1,907 1,751 1,687 1,563 1,931 2,030 1,994 1,583




B) BROWN SWISS
 
SAS Output
Trait 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Breedings per conception 7,750 8,850 9,594 9,360 9,739 9,986 9,635 10,229 10,445 10,247 9,908
Days from calving to first breeding 7,978 9,263 9,959 9,703 10,105 10,354 10,038 10,581 10,839 10,643 10,254
Days from calving to last breeding 5,044 5,582 5,953 5,868 6,272 6,422 6,287 6,809 6,877 6,733 6,621
Days from first to last breeding 7,750 8,850 9,594 9,360 9,739 9,986 9,635 10,229 10,445 10,247 9,908
Conception rate for first breedings 6,914 8,291 8,939 8,786 9,184 9,192 8,997 9,540 9,804 9,598 9,289
Conception rate for all breedings 16,550 21,101 23,480 23,974 25,290 25,389 23,994 24,898 25,587 25,030 24,171
Calving interval 3,532 4,702 4,721 4,686 5,056 4,910 5,071 5,433 5,278 5,188 4,525




C) GUERNSEY
 
SAS Output
Trait 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Breedings per conception 3,875 4,044 3,872 3,527 3,482 3,486 3,225 3,608 3,408 3,239 3,008
Days from calving to first breeding 3,990 4,235 4,055 3,664 3,632 3,626 3,355 3,763 3,550 3,358 3,105
Days from calving to last breeding 2,568 2,730 2,555 2,328 2,322 2,207 2,066 2,366 2,211 2,121 1,977
Days from first to last breeding 3,875 4,044 3,872 3,527 3,482 3,486 3,225 3,608 3,408 3,239 3,008
Conception rate for first breedings 3,445 3,812 3,643 3,323 3,162 3,066 2,963 3,272 3,079 2,919 2,652
Conception rate for all breedings 8,799 10,431 10,143 9,521 9,288 9,091 8,859 9,221 8,570 7,898 7,506
Calving interval 1,627 2,052 1,904 1,696 1,666 1,526 1,619 1,632 1,535 1,435 1,179




D) HOLSTEIN
 
SAS Output
Trait 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Breedings per conception 907,811 984,889 1,031,167 1,085,600 1,359,369 1,405,459 1,443,202 1,677,827 1,743,110 1,824,036 1,856,321
Days from calving to first breeding 945,598 1,019,844 1,066,405 1,120,956 1,400,584 1,450,130 1,487,793 1,728,321 1,794,201 1,880,255 1,911,390
Days from calving to last breeding 670,905 747,785 767,559 808,853 1,028,018 1,068,155 1,100,683 1,282,792 1,328,499 1,395,234 1,422,220
Days from first to last breeding 907,811 984,889 1,031,167 1,085,600 1,359,369 1,405,459 1,443,202 1,677,827 1,743,110 1,824,036 1,856,321
Conception rate for first breedings 867,702 957,182 1,005,617 1,039,134 1,275,745 1,341,924 1,392,669 1,619,853 1,696,804 1,774,686 1,813,214
Conception rate for all breedings 2,136,274 2,391,138 2,602,477 2,750,929 3,367,284 3,558,676 3,578,268 4,163,620 4,382,606 4,524,231 4,585,970
Calving interval 478,626 534,154 537,460 590,522 728,973 747,715 795,270 896,347 934,496 972,080 980,755




E) JERSEY
 
SAS Output
Trait 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Breedings per conception 47,956 48,459 51,386 53,772 88,801 95,172 104,346 128,709 148,096 157,368 167,754
Days from calving to first breeding 50,246 50,567 53,453 55,797 91,979 98,432 107,398 132,683 152,782 163,275 173,019
Days from calving to last breeding 37,825 38,818 41,361 42,390 70,681 76,629 85,688 107,233 122,431 129,197 137,293
Days from first to last breeding 47,956 48,459 51,386 53,772 88,801 95,172 104,346 128,709 148,096 157,368 167,754
Conception rate for first breedings 45,065 46,828 49,661 51,735 80,983 89,887 99,002 120,426 138,559 145,316 153,057
Conception rate for all breedings 100,565 105,306 114,692 122,086 194,888 221,574 235,438 283,046 324,961 338,760 363,445
Calving interval 26,678 28,315 29,239 30,831 49,323 53,385 58,402 76,310 81,580 87,290 88,812




F) MILKING SHORTHORN
 
SAS Output
Trait 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Breedings per conception 300 359 560 432 778 814 686 912 949 1,199 1,078
Days from calving to first breeding 313 386 604 458 796 853 710 938 995 1,249 1,138
Days from calving to last breeding 167 239 376 287 501 573 469 636 695 840 752
Days from first to last breeding 300 359 560 432 778 814 686 912 949 1,199 1,078
Conception rate for first breedings 253 310 469 365 660 725 612 792 807 1,051 960
Conception rate for all breedings 440 588 869 726 1,303 1,445 1,311 1,626 1,701 1,985 1,979
Calving interval 84 164 163 193 319 306 304 358 466 476 358




G) RED & WHITE
 
SAS Output
Trait 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Breedings per conception 1,096 1,276 1,233 1,100 1,377 1,291 1,166 1,202 1,200 1,134 1,199
Days from calving to first breeding 1,112 1,326 1,275 1,137 1,405 1,325 1,207 1,253 1,255 1,176 1,235
Days from calving to last breeding 755 865 860 762 981 888 865 910 823 826 846
Days from first to last breeding 1,096 1,276 1,233 1,100 1,377 1,291 1,166 1,202 1,200 1,134 1,199
Conception rate for first breedings 948 1,159 1,114 987 1,246 1,204 1,080 1,144 1,129 1,045 1,127
Conception rate for all breedings 2,248 2,970 2,662 2,439 3,299 2,950 2,527 2,731 2,614 2,375 2,530
Calving interval 505 612 513 533 685 582 564 578 578 560 532