Analysis of lactating cows in commercial Austrian dairy farms: interrelationships between different efficiency and production traits, body condition score and energy balance

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between efficiency, energy balance and related traits like milk yield, feed intake (DMI), body weight and body condition score (BCS). Data was derived in the project ‘Efficient Cow’ to develop efficiency traits for Austrian cattle breeding (6105 cows, 161 farms, one-year data collection). The following efficiency traits were considered: body weight efficiency as ratio between energy corrected milk (ECM) to metabolic body weight, feed efficiency (kg ECM per kg DMI) and energy efficiency expressed as ratio between energy in milk to energy intake. The higher the proportion of Red Holstein (RH) in Fleckvieh (FV), the more (efficiently) milk was produced, but also at the expenses of body fat reserves. The negative energy state of Holstein Friesian (HF) and the FV groups with highest RH proportion lasted approximately twice as long as of the least efficient Brown Swiss. All genotypes regained lost body tissue during whole lactation. The high yielding groups required a higher concentrate proportion in late lactation to regain body condition. In early lactation, high efficiency was accompanied by the loss of body weight and BCS. Body condition stagnated longer on the lowest level and was more conform to energy balance than body weight. In conclusion, high efficiency required an increasing partitioning of nutrients to milk yield inclusive mobilisation. Breeding for higher efficiency would exacerbate catabolic state including problems with health and fertility. This highlights the necessity of a broader definition of efficiency in cattle breeding involving parameters like BCS, health and fertility traits.

HIGHLIGHTS

• In early lactation, high efficiency co-occurs with loss of body weight and body condition score

• Breeding for higher efficiency exacerbates body tissue mobilisation and negative energy balance

• A broader definition of efficiency involving parameters like body condition score, health and fertility traits is necessary in cattle breeding

Keywords:

• Efficiency
• energy balance
• body condition score
• lactation stage
• body tissue mobilisation

Acknowledgements

The authors want to express their gratitude to Helga Bahar (Agricultural Research and Education Centre Raumberg-Gumpenstein, Irdning) for graphical editing, and Karl Moder (Institute of Applied Statistics and Computing, BOKU, Vienna) for statistical advice.

Ethical approval statement

No work carried out for this research was subject to the approval of an ethics committee.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the former Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management (Vienna), the Federal States of Austria, the Federations of Austrian Fleckvieh (Zwettl), Brown-Swiss (Innsbruck), Holstein (Leoben), and the Federation of Austrian Cattle Breeders (Vienna) within the project ‘Efficient Cow’ [grant number. 100861].