Comparison of Holsteins to Crossbreds of Holstein with Jersey, Normande, Montbéliarde, and Viking Red for Confinement and Seasonal Pasture Production Herds

Abstract

Holstein (HO) calves, 3-breed crossbred calves of Montbéliarde, Viking Red, and HO (MVH) and 3-breed crossbred calves of Normande, Jersey, and Viking Red (NVJ) were compared for gestation length (GL), calf weight at birth (CW), calving difficulty (CD) and stillbirth (SB) in 2 research herds of the University of Minnesota. Primiparous and multiparous calvings were analyzed separately. For the St. Paul and Morris herds, HO calves from primiparous (278 d) and multiparous (279 d) HO cows had shorter GL compared with MVH calves from primiparous (280 d) and multiparous (282 d) crossbred cows. The HO calves (39.4 kg and 43.2 kg, respectively) from primiparous and multiparous HO cows had lower CW compared with MVH calves (40.3 kg and 44.3 kg, respectively) from primiparous and multiparous crossbred cows. Calving difficulty and SB were not different for HO and MVH calves from primiparous and multiparous cows. For the single herd analysis at Morris, HO calves (278 d and 279 d, respectively) from primiparous and multiparous HO cows had shorter GL compared with MVH calves (281 d and 282 d, respectively) and NJV calves (282 d and 282 d, respectively) from primiparous and multiparous crossbred cows. The CW of HO calves (38.6 kg and 42.0 kg, respectively) from primiparous and multiparous HO cows was lower compared with MVH calves (39.7 kg and 42.9 kg, respectively), but higher compared with NJV calves (35.1 kg and 38.0 kg, respectively) from primiparous and multiparous crossbred cows. Calving difficulty and SB did not differ for HO, MVH, and NJV calves from primiparous and multiparous cows. The longer GL for crossbred calves and higher CW for MVH calves did not increase CD and SB for primiparous and multiparous cows.The objective of this study was to compare 3-breed rotational crossbred (CB) cows of the Montbéliarde, Viking Red, and Holstein (HO) breeds with HO cows fed two alternative diets for dry matter intake (DMI), fat plus protein production (CFP), body weight (BW), body condition score (BCS), feed efficiency and residual feed intake (RFI) from 46 to 150 DIM during first lactation. The CB cows (n = 17) and HO cows (n = 19) calved from September 2019 to March 2020. Cows were fed either a traditional TMR diet (TRAD) or a higher fiber, lower starch TMR diet (HFLS). The HFLS had 21% more corn silage, 47% more alfalfa hay, 44% less corn grain, and 43% less corn gluten feed than the TRAD. The BW and BCS were recorded once weekly. Daily milk, fat, and protein production were estimated from twice monthly milk recording with random regression. Measures of efficiency were fat plus protein production per kg of DMI and DMI per kg of BW. The RFI from 46 to 150 DIM was the residual error from regression of DMI on milk energy, metabolic BW, and the energy required for change in BW. Statistical analysis of all variables included the fixed effects of diet, breed group, and the interaction of diet and breed group. The CB cows fed HFLS had less DMI (-12%) and lower DMI/BW (-14%) compared with the HO cows fed TRAD. For CFP, CB and HO cows were not different when fed TRAD or HFLS. Furthermore, the CB cows fed HFLS had higher BW (+50 kg) compared with HO cows fed HFLS. The CB cows fed TRAD had higher BCS than HO cows fed TRAD and HO cows fed HFLS (+0.46 and +0.62, respectively). The HO cows fed TRAD had more DMI (+14%) and lower fat plus protein production per kg of DMI (-12%) compared with the HO cows fed HFLS. In addition, mean RFI from 46 to 150 DIM was lower and more desirable for CB cows fed HFLS (-120.0 kg) compared with HO cows fed TRAD (85.3 kg).