Live weight changes during lactation in Montbéliarde cows

Article Details: Received: 2020-09-22 | Accepted: 2020-11-27 | Available online: 2021-01-31 https://doi.org/10.15414/afz.2021. 24.mi-prap.5-10 Abstract This research was conducted on 147 cows of purebred Montbeliarde dairy cattle during their first to seventh lactation. On average, each dairy cow provided 161 values on live weight during lactation via the automatic milking system (AMS). The average live weight of a dairy cow of said herd was 699.94 kg, the daily milk yield was 33.67 kg on average and the average day of lactation (DIM) was 111.75. This research discovered a statistically significant decrease of live weight in dairy cattle before the 60th day of lactation in every observed lactation. On the contrary, the changes in live weight in the last 60 days of standardized lactation proved to be inconclusive. Between days 60 and 240 of the lactation, an increase of live weight of varying intensities was observed, mainly in cows who had undergone less lactation cycles in the past. Similarly, the research has proven an impact of the number of lactation cycles the cow has undergone in the past on the live weight of the cow during the first, second and third lactation (645.21 kg, 700.35 kg and 752.10 kg respectively). On the contrary, there was no conclusive difference in live weight between the third and more lactation cycles. The results have also shown that the changes in live weight during lactation were significantly different in first-calf heifers, as opposed to cows after more lactation cycles, similarly to the differences in milk yield. Keywords: Montbeliarde, dairy, body weight, lactation, cow References ALAWNEH, J. I. et al. (2011). Automatic recording of daily walkover liveweight of dairy cattle at pasture in the first 100 days in milk. Journal of Dairy Science , 94, 4431–4440. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2010-4002 CHLADEK, G. , KUCERA, J. (2000). An analysis of some factors affecting the milk production of cows sired by Montbeliarde sires in the Czech Republic. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis , 48(3), 21–26. CHLADEK, G. et al. (2001). The effect of Montbeliarde sires on the populations of Montbeliarde and Czech Spotted cows in the Czech Republic. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis , 49(4), 7–12. GRUBER, L. et al. (2018). Body weight prediction using body size measurements in Fleckvieh, Holstein, and Brown Swiss dairy cows in lactation and dry periods. Archives Animal Breeding , 61, 413–424. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/aab-61-413-2018 KOPEC, T. et al. (2013). The effect of the calving season on the Wood’s model parameters and characteristics of the lactation curve in Czech Fleckvieh cows. Archives Animal Breeding , 56, 808–815. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7482/0003-9438-56-080 LEDINEK, M. et al. (2019). Analysis of lactating cows in commercial Austrian dairy farms: diet composition, and influence of genotype, parity and stage of lactation on nutrient intake, body weight and body condition score. Italian Journal of Animal Science , 18, 202–214. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1828051X.2018. 1504632 MLYNEK, K. , GLOWINSKA, B. (2020). The relationship of body condition and chewing time with body weight, the level of plasma cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript, leptin and energy metabolites in cows until reaching the lactation peak. Acta Veterinaria Brno , 89, 31–38. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2754/avb202089010031 PORTES, J. V. et al. (2020). Evaluation of body weight and hip height in Nellore cows in a tropical environment. Livestock Science , 233. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci. 2020.103953 PSZCZOLA, M. et al. (2018). Short communication: Improving repeatability of cows’ body weight recorded by an automated milking system. Livestock Science , 214, 149–152. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci. 2018.04. 016 SOYEURT, H. et al. (2019). Contribution of Milk Mid-Infrared Spectrum to Improve the Accuracy of Test-Day Body Weight Predicted from Stage, Lactation Number, Month of Test and Milk Yield. Livestock Science , 227, 82–89. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci. 2019.07. 007 TOSHNIWAL, J. K. et al. (2008). Heritability of Electronically Recorded Daily Body Weight and Correlations with Yield, Dry Matter Intake, and Body Condition Score. Journal of Dairy Science , 91, 3201–3210. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2007-0627