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An individual reproduction model sensitive to milk yield and body condition in Holstein dairy cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2013

L. Brun-Lafleur ,
E. Cutullic ,
P. Faverdin ,
L. Delaby  and
C. Disenhaus
L. Brun-Lafleur
Affiliation:
INRA, UMR1348 Physiologie, Environnement et Génétique pour l'Animal et les Systèmes d’Élevage, F-35590 Saint-Gilles, France Agrocampus-Ouest, UMR1348 Physiologie, Environnement et Génétique pour l'Animal et les Systèmes d’Élevage, F-35000 Rennes, France Institut de l’Élevage, F-35652 Le Rheu, France
E. Cutullic
Affiliation:
INRA, UMR1348 Physiologie, Environnement et Génétique pour l'Animal et les Systèmes d’Élevage, F-35590 Saint-Gilles, France Agrocampus-Ouest, UMR1348 Physiologie, Environnement et Génétique pour l'Animal et les Systèmes d’Élevage, F-35000 Rennes, France Bern University of Applied Sciences, School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, Länggasse 85, 3052 Zollikofen, Switzerland
P. Faverdin*
Affiliation:
INRA, UMR1348 Physiologie, Environnement et Génétique pour l'Animal et les Systèmes d’Élevage, F-35590 Saint-Gilles, France Agrocampus-Ouest, UMR1348 Physiologie, Environnement et Génétique pour l'Animal et les Systèmes d’Élevage, F-35000 Rennes, France
L. Delaby
Affiliation:
INRA, UMR1348 Physiologie, Environnement et Génétique pour l'Animal et les Systèmes d’Élevage, F-35590 Saint-Gilles, France Agrocampus-Ouest, UMR1348 Physiologie, Environnement et Génétique pour l'Animal et les Systèmes d’Élevage, F-35000 Rennes, France
C. Disenhaus
Affiliation:
INRA, UMR1348 Physiologie, Environnement et Génétique pour l'Animal et les Systèmes d’Élevage, F-35590 Saint-Gilles, France Agrocampus-Ouest, UMR1348 Physiologie, Environnement et Génétique pour l'Animal et les Systèmes d’Élevage, F-35000 Rennes, France
*
†E-mail: philippe.faverdin@rennes.inra.fr
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Abstract

To simulate the consequences of management in dairy herds, the use of individual-based herd models is very useful and has become common. Reproduction is a key driver of milk production and herd dynamics, whose influence has been magnified by the decrease in reproductive performance over the last decades. Moreover, feeding management influences milk yield (MY) and body reserves, which in turn influence reproductive performance. Therefore, our objective was to build an up-to-date animal reproduction model sensitive to both MY and body condition score (BCS). A dynamic and stochastic individual reproduction model was built mainly from data of a single recent long-term experiment. This model covers the whole reproductive process and is composed of a succession of discrete stochastic events, mainly calving, ovulations, conception and embryonic loss. Each reproductive step is sensitive to MY or BCS levels or changes. The model takes into account recent evolutions of reproductive performance, particularly concerning calving-to-first ovulation interval, cyclicity (normal cycle length, prevalence of prolonged luteal phase), oestrus expression and pregnancy (conception, early and late embryonic loss). A sensitivity analysis of the model to MY and BCS at calving was performed. The simulated performance was compared with observed data from the database used to build the model and from the bibliography to validate the model. Despite comprising a whole series of reproductive steps, the model made it possible to simulate realistic global reproduction outputs. It was able to well simulate the overall reproductive performance observed in farms in terms of both success rate (recalving rate) and reproduction delays (calving interval). This model has the purpose to be integrated in herd simulation models to usefully test the impact of management strategies on herd reproductive performance, and thus on calving patterns and culling rates.

Keywords

dairy cowreproductionmodelmilk yieldbody condition score
Type
Physiology and functional biology of systems
Information
animal , Volume 7 , Issue 8 , August 2013 , pp. 1332 - 1343
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2013 

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