Effects of birth weight, pre-weaning growth and age at first service on the age at first calving and its association with first-lactation milk yield in Holstein Friesian dairy cows at Phu Yen High-Tech Dairy Farm
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Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate effects of birth weight, pre-weaning growth and age at the first service on age at first calving, and determine the relationship between age at first calving and firstlactation milk yield of Holstein Friesian cows at Phu Yen HighTech Dairy Farm. The study was carried out using the data of 292 heifers calving from August 2023 to June 2024 to analyze effects of birth weight, pre-weaning growth and age at the first service on age at first calving and data from 781 cows of 1,734 first-calving heifers which obtained completely 305 days in milk for the first lactation during the 2021 - 2023 period to assess the relationship between the age at first calving and 305 days milk yield. Results showed that the average age at first calving was 24.43 months, with 85% of cows calving for the first time between 23.0 - 25.99 months. Correlation analysis revealed negative correlations between birth weight and age at first calving (r = -0.106; P < 0.05), between weight gain from birth to weaning and age at first calving (r = -0.072; P > 0.05), and a positive correlation between age at first breeding and age at first calving (r = 0.485; P < 0.01). Furthermore, the positive correlation (r = 0.443 - 0.530; P < 0.001) between the age first calving and 305 days milk yield was found. In conclusion, the results reveal the significantly negative correlation between birth weight and age at first calving, positive correlation between age at first breeding and age at first calving, as well as possitive correlation between the age at first calving with the 305 days in milk yield of cows examined. So, application of optimal feeding management to reduce age at first calving, thereby contributing to reduce costs and improve economic efficiency in dairy farming.
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