Relationship among estradiol, cortisol and intensity of estrous behavior in dairy cattle

Economic profitability of a dairy farm is based, in part, on the calving interval of the cows. The optimal interval is 365 d. To achieve this, the cow needs to be pregnant within 85 d post partum. The first and most problematic step in this process is the determination of the optimal time for insemi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Theriogenology 2000-06, Vol.53 (9), p.1783-1795
Main Authors: Lyimo, Z.C., Nielen, M., Ouweltjes, W., Kruip, T.A.M., Eerdenburg, F.J.C.M. van
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Behavior, Animal
Cattle - blood
Cattle - physiology
Cattle - psychology
dairy farm management
Estradiol - blood
Estrus - blood
Estrus - physiology
Estrus - psychology
estrus detection
Estrus Detection - methods
Female
Fluoroimmunoassay - veterinary
hormonal regulation
Hydrocortisone - blood
Pregnancy
Progesterone - blood
Radioimmunoassay - veterinary
sexual behavior
Statistics, Nonparametric
stress
Walking - physiology
Walking - psychology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Economic profitability of a dairy farm is based, in part, on the calving interval of the cows. The optimal interval is 365 d. To achieve this, the cow needs to be pregnant within 85 d post partum. The first and most problematic step in this process is the determination of the optimal time for insemination, which is based on estrous behavior. The expression of estrous behavior, however, is at a low level in modern dairy herds, resulting in low detection rates and longer calving intervals. In the present study, a point scale was used to monitor postpartum, nonpregnant cows for estrous symptoms. Frequent blood samples were taken around estrus, and the cows were fit with pedometers to measure their activity. Correlations between the occurrence of symptoms of estrus and levels of estradiol and cortisol were then analyzed. Standing heat, the standard symptom of estrus, was observed in only 53% of the cows. A high correlation of 0.7 was found between estradiol concentration and estrous behavior. This was empasized by the fact that the estradiol level reached its highest level of 7.76 + 2.39 (SD) pg/mL at the same time as the highest behavior score. The highest pedometer readout lagged 8 h behind this moment. Cortisol levels did not exceed the physiological levels in rest situations but showed an increase at the time estrous behavior was at its maximum. The present study showed that standing heat is not the primary symptom for detecting estrus in cows. Pedometers are a useful aid but they have to be read several times a day. The high correlation between the visual symptoms of estrus and estradiol concentrations indicates that visual estrus detection is an efficient, reliable way to determine the right time for insemination
ISSN:0093-691X
1879-3231
DOI:10.1016/S0093-691X(00)00314-9