Effects of neonatal diarrhea and other conditions on subsequent productive and reproductive performance of heifer calves

Abstract

Diarrhea is one of the most frequent diseases of neonatal calves in dairy herds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of neonatal diarrhea and other conditions on subsequent first lactation milk production and reproductive performance of heifer calves up to the first calving. Seven hundred heifer calves (350 with and 350 without the history of diarrhea in first month of life) were monitored from birth until a year after calving. For each heifer, birth season, birth weight, ease of birth and occurrence of diseases from birth to the end of first lactation were recorded as independent variables. Interval from birth to first service, interval from birth to conception, interval from birth to first calving and 305-days milk yield in the first lactation were recorded as dependent variables. Effects of explanatory variables on productive and reproductive indices were evaluated by survival analysis and general linear model. Heifers with the history of diarrhea during the first month of their lives showed lower daily hazard of conception [Hazard ratio: 0.85 (95%CI: 0.73-0.99)] and calving [Hazard ratio: 0.84 (95%CI: 0.72-0.98)] than those of healthy heifers. Subsequent reproductive performance of heifer calves was also associated with birth season and ease of birth. Further, heifer calves born with birth weight of below 35 kg produced an average of 518 and 506 l less milk in their first lactation compared to calves with a birth weight 40-45 (p = 0.013) and greater than 45 kg (P = 0.033), respectively. These findings showed that occurrence of neonatal diarrhea and other neonatal parameters are associated with harmful effects on subsequent production and reproductive performance.

Keywords: Diarrhea; Heifer calf; Milk production; Reproduction.