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Body condition score and reproductive performance in dairy cows in Greece

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2017

G. Oikonomou ,
G. Arsenos ,
G.E. Valergakis ,
A. Tsiaras  and
G. Banos
G. Oikonomou
Affiliation:
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
G. Arsenos*
Affiliation:
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
G.E. Valergakis
Affiliation:
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
A. Tsiaras
Affiliation:
DELTA Dairy Industry, Komotini, Greece
G. Banos
Affiliation:
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
*
Email:arsenosg@vet.auth.gr
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Extract

Various studies in dairy cows have shown that their Body Condition Score (BCS) effectively reflects their nutritional status and energy content (Ferguson et al. 1994). Extremes in BCS and BCS losses have been identified as a risk factor for health problems and reduced reproductive efficiency (Markusfeld et al. 1997, Lopez-Gatius et al. 2003). Body condition scoring is easy and inexpensive to perform and gives a reliable estimate of body energy reserves. Hence, in practice, BCS can be used as a tool for ration formulation and management decisions concerning reproduction of dairy cows (Banos et al. 2004). The objective of this study was to determine and quantify the impact of BCS in the reproductive performance of primiparous Holstein cows.

Type
Theatre Presentations
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science , Volume 2007 , April 2007 , pp. 60
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 2007

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References

Banos, G., Brotherstone, S., Coffey, M.P. 2004. Evaluation of Body condition score measured throughout lactation as an indicator of fertility in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 87: 2669–2676.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferguson, J.D., Galligan, D.T., Thomsen, N. 1994. Principal descriptors of body condition score in Holstein cows. Journal of Dairy Science 77: 2695–2703.Google Scholar
Lopez-Gatius, F., Yaniz, J., Madriles-Helm, D. 2003. Effects of body condition score and score change on the reproductive performance of dairy cows: a meta-analysis. Theriogenology 59:801–812.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Markusfeld, O., Galon, N., Ezra, E. 1997. Body condition score, health, yield and fertility in dairy cows. Veterinary Record, 141: 67–72.Google Scholar