Effects of health disorders on milk yield and calving interval in Italian Holstein cows

Abstract

Milk production, reproduction and health are the major determinants of profitability in dairy herds. The smooth progress in cow milk yield over the last decades and the positive association found between milk yield and risk of disease outbreak (Heuer et al., 1999; Fleischer et al., 2001; Gallo et al., 2002) increased the interest towards health traits. Recording diseases of economic significance helps in containing veterinary costs, milk losses and early replacement of cows, and is needed for developing management strategies able to promote health and for investigating genetic aspects of the occurrence of diseases.........

Keywords

• dairy cows, health traits, milk yield, calving interval