Increased somatic cell counts at first milk control are associated with decreased milk yield in the first lactation in dairy heifers
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- Increased somatic cell counts at first milk control are associated with decreased milk yield in the first lactation in dairy heifers
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Intramammary infections before calving and in early lactation have a
negative impact on the development of the mammary gland, udder
health, the risk of clinical mastitis in early lactation, the risk of premature
culling and future milk production in dairy heifers. The aim of this
study was to reveal whether and how the somatic cell count of the first
dairy herd improvement (DHI) affects the 305 day milk yield (energy
corrected milk) of the first lactation in German dairy heifers. It should
also be examined whether the threshold of 100,000 cells/ml used for
herd analysis in Germany is suitable for estimating possible economic
losses as the threshold of 200,000 cells/ml is often used in other countries.
In addition, it should be examined whether a milk loss, which
is associated with an increased initial SCC, differs between different
German dairy cattle breeds. For this study, the DHI data of 49,467 heifers
reared on 2413 German dairy farms located in Schleswig-Holstein
between October 2015 and June 2016 were analyzed. Heifers with a
SCC in the first DHI test of > 100,000 cells/ml showed a significantly (p
<0.001) lower milk yield (on average -98.3 kg; 95% confidence interval
(CI): -116.4 - -80.2) during the first lactation compared to heifers with
an SCC ≤ 100,000 cells/ml. Heifers with a SCC in the first DHI test of
> 200,000 cells/ml also showed a significantly (p <0.001) lower milk
yield (on average -96.3 kg; 95% CI: -118.4 - -74.2) in the first lactation
compared to heifers with a SCC ≤ 200,000 cells/ml. The effect of milk
loss due to an increased initial SCC did not differ significantly between
the breeds analysed. These results show that it is possible to use both
thresholds of the SCC for assessing udder health in individual heifers
and at herd level. However, the present study only shows the relationship
between increased SCC and the loss of milk yield measured in
different German breeds of dairy heifers. Future studies must validate
further risk factors that influence the udder health of dairy heifers.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Milk Science International - Milchwissenschaft |
Volume | 74 |
Pages (from-to) | 20-24 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 14 Jun 2021 |
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