Heat Stress During the Dry Period in Crossbred Dairy Cows and its Impact on Subsequent Productive and Reproductive Performance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48162/rev.39.228Keywords:
heat stress, pasture-based, crossbreeding, THI, reproductive efficiency, milk productionAbstract
The dry period of a dairy cow is the time between the end of one lactation (when the cow is no longer milking) and the start of the next calving and lactation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of heat stress during the dry period on milk production and reproductive performance during the first 100 days of the subsequent lactation in crossbred dairy cows managed in a pasture-based herd in Santa Fe, Argentina. Ninety-five multiparous cows were classified into three groups based on their exposure to heat stress: no stress, low stress, and high stress. Cows in the no stress group produced 274 kg more milk than those in the high stress group (P < 0.05) and showed higher conception rate at first service (P < 0.05). Heat stress during the dry period negatively affected early productive and reproductive performance, emphasizing the importance of mitigating heat stress in dry cows under pasture-based systems.
Highlights:
- Heat stress (HS) during the dry period on dairy pastured based cows reduces milk production during the first 100 days on milk.
- Cows without HS had a higher conception rate at first service than cows exposed to high heat stress
- 95 multiparous crossbred cows were classified as No stress, Low stress, or High stress according to the number of dry-period days with (Temperature-Humidity Index) THI >72.
- Milk yield during the first 100 days in milk (DIM) was estimated, using a third order orthogonal polynomial fitted individually for each cow.
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