During the XXVI International Scientific Conference in Polanica-Zdrój, Arkadiusz Kaźmierczak from the Polish Federation of Cattle Breeders and Milk Producers discussed the impact of nutrition on cattle reproduction.
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The XXVI International Scientific Conference in Polanica-Zdrój has started
The cost of each open day above the optimal level is PLN 25
He noted that, according to the information presented in the report on the assessment of the utility value of dairy cows, the average interpregnancy period in 2023 lasted 137 days (no changes y/y).
The speaker pointed out that the cost of each open day above the optimal level of 100 days is PLN 25, so for Poland it is 37×25 = PLN 925, which in an average herd under evaluation, which in Poland has approximately 46 animals, gives PLN 42,550. The speaker said that this shows how much potential we still have for improvement.
The influence of diseases on the occurrence of heat
The speaker cited research results according to which 84% of women were in heat by the 65th day of lactation. healthy animals, and the occurrence of one disease reduced this rate to 80%, and in the case of two diseases it dropped to 70.7%. The greatest negative impact was experienced by difficult childbirth (70.5%), ketosis (77.7%) and uterine inflammation (63.7%).
The impact of diseases on the effectiveness of the first insemination
Metabolic diseases also affect the effectiveness of the first insemination. According to the research cited by Kaźmierczak, in the case of healthy animals it is usually above 50%. (in the study it was 51.4%). Cows with one disease had a first mating efficiency of 43.3%, and in the case of two diseases it dropped to 34.7%. The greatest impact was recorded in the case of uterine inflammation (37.8%), ketosis (28.8%) and lameness (34.3%).
Diseases and difficulties in maintaining pregnancy
The speaker also pointed out that metabolic diseases also cause difficulties in maintaining pregnancy. In the above-mentioned studies in healthy animals, the risk of pregnancy loss was 8.9%. In the case of one disease it increased by 5%, and in the case of two diseases it increased by 6.9%. An exceptionally high rate of pregnancy loss was recorded in animals with lameness, where the percentage of animals with difficulty maintaining pregnancy was over 26%.
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Heat stress increases the risk of lameness in cattle
The speaker emphasized that ketosis, in particular, is a significant threat to reproductive parameters because it increases the likelihood of mastitis three times. Additionally, cows with ketosis are 1.4 times more likely to develop endometritis and 1.5 times more likely to be anovulatory until the 60th day of lactation.
Three basic critical levels
Focusing on the impact of nutrition on the proper conduct of the animal through the perinatal period, we can distinguish three basic critical levels:
- Negative energy balance caused by a decrease in dry matter intake
- Lowering the immune level and, consequently, a higher risk of inflammation
- Metabolic diseases caused by improper mineral nutrition.
How to improve reproductive results? The vicious circle of reproduction
How to achieve better results? First of all, through nutrition, management and well-being, as Kaźmierczak emphasized. He also mentioned that as a nutritional advisor, he often visits farms where he observes the so-called a vicious circle that begins with high BCS in cows, which leads to a decrease in dry matter intake, resulting in an energy deficit, which leads to metabolic diseases. The consequence of all this is poor reproductive results.
– As an advisor, I can say that the most common problem in the field are cows with too strong cow condition, which is often above 3.5 (most often 3.75–4.25 BCS). If the BCS score significantly exceeds 3.5, we can expect a significant drop in delivery, which contributes to other problems in the perinatal period – said Kaźmierczak.
He also reminded that the greater the degree of adiposity, the more rapid the mobilization of fat reserves.
– The most common mistake is overfeeding animals in the last phase of lactation. This is due to the lack of division into nutritional groups, or to the fact that the hand feeding of concentrate feed is not adjusted to the level of efficiency – explained the speaker.
Kaźmierczak pointed out that a decrease in intake leads to an energy deficit, but also to fluctuations in the animal's condition, and it has been proven that large changes in the animal's weight have a huge impact on the effectiveness of the first mating and the length of the interpregnancy period.
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