Achieving Longevity Through Optimal Udder Health

By Lisa Godding – AHV International

Cows can continue to produce quality milk for many years if given the opportunity. An older dairy herd is also economically beneficial. Several scientific studies show that 50% to 70% of cows are forcibly disposed of around the age of four or five years (Gosselink et al., 2008). The three main reasons to dispose of cows early from the herd are poor udder health, reduced fertility, and lameness. Extending lifespan is sustainable and incredibly beneficial. So, what needs to be done to increase the longevity of your livestock?

Culling is the removal of cows from the herd, typically to make room for younger animals with higher genetic merit (Gussman et al., 2019). If culling is used as a management tool by making strategic culling decisions, this can sometimes have a positive effect on herd economics and animal welfare, but can include involuntary culls due to severe health challenges, which is less financially beneficial. 

Poor udder health main reason for involuntary culls

One of the primary reasons for culling is often poor udder health. Optimal udder health is therefore one of the most important pillars when it comes to extending the lifespan of dairy cows. Avoiding udder health challenges leads to lower replacement rates, higher life expectancy, improved animal welfare, and better financial results. 

Udder health is one of the most challenging issues for dairy farmers. After all, a good and healthy udder is crucial for delivering high-quality milk. In addition, a cow that feels comfortable, and eats better, will require less attention from the farmer when her udder health is optimal. This lowers the need for the farmer to intervene. Especially in the first hundred days after calving, the risk of impaired udder health is highest.  

Implications of poor udder health

Impact of udder health challenges:

• Loss of milk and decreased milk production;
• Reduced milk quality;
• Increased risk of recurring challenges;
• Higher culling rates (higher replacement rate);
• Labour intensive.

What is the optimal productive lifespan?

After five lactations, a cow reaches the peak of her production. Research shows that economically, 8 to 9 lactations is optimal. The cow then reaches an age of 10 to 11 years. Farmers who milk older cows also need fewer young stock and can reduce the replacement rate by 10 to 15%. The productive lifespan of the average cow is between 3 and 6 years (Pinedo et al., 2014,  CRV, 2022).Thus, the economically optimal replacement age of cows is much higher than the average current cull age. Also, less involuntary culling is a sign of fewer challenges on the farm, and this directly translates to more income. 

Main benefits of low replacement rates

To monitor the economic impact of lifetime production, the replacement rate is a crucial key figure. The main benefits of low replacement rates (Evers et al., 2017) are:

• The cow can maintain her milk yield peak for longer from the third lactation onwards;
• The older the cow, the higher the colostrum quality;
• The cow has a higher feed intake and produces more efficiently compared to a heifer;
• Lower replacement costs;
• More targeted selection possible;
• Reduced emissions of ammonia and greenhouse gases, less use of concentrate feed, and less surplus on the mineral balance.

How can you optimise udder health on your farm?

Our consultants will be happy to discuss this with you and provide advice based on your farm’s specific data to minimise permanent udder damage and associated costs.

Resources:

CRV. Visited 11-21-2022. https://www.cooperatie-crv.nl/downloads/stamboek/bedrijven-en-koeien-in-cijfers/

Evers, A. G., & de Haan, M. H. A. (2017). Hoge levensproductie Nederlandse melkkoeien.

Gosselink, J. M. J., Bos, A. P., Bokma, S., & Koerkamp, P. G. (2008). Oudere koeien voor een duurzame houderij. V-focus, 5(4), 30-31.

Gussmann, M., Denwood, M., Kirkeby, C., Farre, M., & Halasa, T. (2019). Associations between udder health and culling in dairy cows. Preventive veterinary medicine, 171, 104751.

Pinedo, P. J., Daniels, A., Shumaker, J., & De Vries, A. (2014). Dynamics of culling for Jersey, Holstein, and Jersey× Holstein crossbred cows in large multibreed dairy herds. Journal of dairy science, 97(5), 2886-2895.