Fertility and Survival of Pure Holsteins Versus Crossbreds of Holstein with Normande, Montbeliarde, and Scandinavian Red

• Published in: Journal of dairy science 2006-12, Vol.89 (12), p.4944-4951
• Main Authors: Heins, B.J., Hansen, L.B., Seykora, A.J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: animal age; Animal productions; Animals; artificial insemination; Biological and medical sciences; breed differences; Cattle - physiology; conception; conception rate; crossbreds; crossbreeding; Crosses, Genetic; culling (animals); dairy breeds; dairy cows; Dairying; days open; days to first breeding; dry period; Female; female fertility; Fertility - physiology; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; genetic variation; genotype; heifers; heterosis; Holstein; Hybridization, Genetic - physiology; Lactation - physiology; lactation number; Least-Squares Analysis; longevity; Male; Milk and cheese industries. Ice creams; Montbeliarde (cattle breed); Normande (cattle breed); Odds Ratio; postpartum period; reproduction; Scandinavian Red (cattle breed); sires; survival; Survival Analysis; Terrestrial animal productions; Vertebrates
• ISSN: 0022-0302; 1525-3198
• DOI: 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(06)72545-0

First-calf pure Holsteins and Normande/Holstein, Montbeliarde/Holstein, and Scandinavian Red/Holstein crossbreds were compared for days to first breeding, first-service conception rate, days open, and survival. First-calf heifers were in 7 commercial dairies in California and calved from June 2002 to October 2004. Holsteins were required to have a recorded sire with a National Association of American Breeders code to assure they were sired by artificially inseminated bulls. Normande-, Montbeliarde-, and Scandinavian Red-sired crossbreds were all daughters of artificially inseminated bulls via imported semen. For days open, first-calf heifers were required to be at least 250 d in milk and those with greater than 250 d open were truncated to 250 d. Least squares means for days to first breeding were 69 d for Holsteins, 62 d for Normande/Holstein, 65 d for Montbeliarde/Holstein, and 66 d for Scandinavian Red/Holstein crossbreds, and differed significantly from pure Holsteins for Normande/Holstein and Montbeliarde/Holstein crossbreds. First-service conception rates were 22% for Holsteins, 35% for Normande/Holstein, 31% for Montbeliarde/Holstein, and 30% for Scandinavian Red/Holstein crossbreds and, again, differences from Holstein were significant for the Normande/Holstein and Montbeliarde/Holstein crossbreds. Least squares means for days open were 150±4.1 d for pure Holsteins, 123±3.8 d for Normande/Holstein, 131±4.4 d for Montbeliarde/Holstein, and 129±4.6 d for Scandinavian Red/Holstein crossbreds, and all 3 cross-bred groups had significantly fewer days open than pure Holsteins. Three measures of survival were to 30, 150, and 305 d postpartum, and all crossbred groups survived significantly longer than pure Holsteins during first lactation for all 3 measures of survival. Least squares means for survival to 30 d postpartum were significantly different for pure Holsteins (95%) vs. all crossbred groups (98%), were significantly different for survival to 150 d postpartum for pure Holsteins (91%) vs. all crossbred groups (96%), and were significantly different for survival to 305 d postpartum for pure Holsteins (86%) vs. all crossbred groups (92 or 93%).