Reasons and Criteria for Selecting and Culling Dairy Cows in Small and Medium Farms in the Northeastern Region of Thailand
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate the criteria for cow culling and the methods used for semen selection in small and medium dairy farms in Thailand. Dairy cows on small and medium farms are culled for many different reasons. Methods of selection and culling were examined using data collected from a questionnaire asking about the number of milking cows, farm experience in raising dairy cows, criteria used for culling cows, selection of new cows, replacement cattle, and semen for breeding. Ninety-one farms were randomly selected using a snowball technique from dairy cooperatives in Khon Kaen, Maha Sarakham, and Sakon Nakhon Provinces, Thailand, with data analyzed using ANOVA and Chi-square statistics. The results showed that most farmers did not cull cows due to low milk production or aging (71.43%, 72.53%) and used 5 to >12 insemination events as a criterion for involuntary culling (50.55%). Chronic mastitis was the highest health reason for culling cows (52.10%). Farmers usually kept on-farm female calves as replacement cows (41.67%), chosen by considering their dams’ milking ability. Most farmers (67.00%) let an artificial inseminator select suitable semen for their cows. When selecting pregnant heifers for replacement, the farmers considered body conformation, udder characteristics, and cow price. Farmers with small and medium farms conducted low levels of voluntary culling and paid less attention to the genetic information of the semen. In summary, this study explains various factors influencing the selection and culling of dairy cows. Challenges leading to cattle culling included mastitis and infertility. Educating farmers on hygiene, reproductive systems, and household accounting is imperative as it facilitates sustainable cattle rearing practices.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright Transfer Statement
The copyright of this article is transferred to Current Applied Science and Technology journal with effect if and when the article is accepted for publication. The copyright transfer covers the exclusive right to reproduce and distribute the article, including reprints, translations, photographic reproductions, electronic form (offline, online) or any other reproductions of similar nature.
The author warrants that this contribution is original and that he/she has full power to make this grant. The author signs for and accepts responsibility for releasing this material on behalf of any and all co-authors.
Here is the link for download: Copyright transfer form.pdf
References
Department of Livestock Development, Thailand, 2023. Data on the Number of Livestock in Thailand 2022. [online] Available at: https://region6.dld.go.th/webnew/pdf/it6565.pdf.
Hemme, T. and Otte, J., 2010. Status and Prospects for Smallholder Milk Production a Global Perspective. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Edwards-Callaway, L.N., Walker, J. and Tucker, C.B., 2018. Culling decisions and dairy cattle welfare during transport to slaughter in the United States. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 5, https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2018.00343.
Weigel, K.A., Palmer, R.W. and Caraviello, D.Z., 2003. Investigation of factors affecting voluntary and involuntary culling in expanding dairy herds in Wisconsin using survival analysis. Journal of Dairy Science, 86(4), 1482-1486, https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(03)73733-3.
Kulkarni, P.S., Mourits, M.C.M., Slob, J., Veldhuis, A.M.B., Nielen, M., Hogeveen, H., van Schaik, G. and Steeneveld, W., 2023. Dutch dairy farmers’ perspectives on culling reasons and strategies. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 218(1), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2023.105997.
Ansari-Lari, M., Mohebbi-Fani, M. and Rowshan-Ghasrodashti, A., 2012. Causes of culling in dairy cows and its relation to age at culling and interval from calving in Shiraz, Southern Iran. Veterinary Research Forum, 3(4), 233-237.
Gebreyesus, G., Lund, M.S., Kupisiewicz, K. and Su, G., 2021. Genetic parameters of semen quality traits and genetic correlations with service sire nonreturn rate in Nordic Holstein bulls. Journal of Dairy Science, 104(9), 10010-10019, https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2021-20403.
Yamane, T., 1973. Statistics: An Introductory Analysis. New York: Harper and Row Publisher.
Department of Livestock Development, 1999. Manual of Dairy Farm Standards and Raw Milk Production of Thailand Year 1999. P-DA-SUP-001 for the Farm Audit Committee. Bangkok: Agricultural Cooperative Association of Thailand. (in Thai)
SAS Institute Inc., 2014. SAS® OnDemand for Academics: User's Guide. Cary, NC: SAS Institute Inc.
Mõtus, K., Rilanto, T., Viidu, D.-A., Orro, T. and Viltrop, A., 2021. Seroprevalence of selected endemic infectious diseases in large-scale Estonian dairy herds and their associations with cow longevity and culling rates. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 192, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2021.105389.
De Vries, A. and Marcondes, M.I., 2020. Review: Overview of factors affecting productive lifespan of dairy cows. Animal, 14(Suppl. 1), s155-s164, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1751731119003264.
Ismail, Z.B. and Muhaffel, M.M., 2022. Mortality and culling of adult dairy cows in Jordan: A 3-year study (2016-2018) based on a single intensively managed dairy farm. Veterinary World, 15(11), 2617-2622, https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2022.2617-2622.
Roche, S.M., Renaud, D.L., Genore, R., Shock, D.A., Bauman, C., Croyle, S., Barkema, H. W., Dubuc, J., Keefe, G.P. and Kelton, D.F., 2020. Canadian national dairy study: Describing Canadian dairy producer practices and perceptions surrounding cull cow management. Journal of Dairy Science, 103(4), 3414-3421, https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-17390.
Roger, G.W., Van Arendonk, J.A.M. and Mcdaniel, B.T., 1988. Influence of involuntary culling on optimum culling rates and annualized net revenue. Journal of Dairy Science, 71(12), 3463-3469, https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(88)75952-X.
Smith, J.W., Ely, L.O. and Chapa, A.M., 2000. Effect of region, herd size, and milk production on reasons cows leave the herd. Journal of Dairy Science, 83(12), 2980-2987, https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(00)75198-8.
Sigdel, A., Liu, L., Abdollahi-Arpanahi, R., Aguilar, I. and Peñagaricano, F., 2020. Genetic dissection of reproductive performance of dairy cows under heat stress. Animal Genetics, 51(4), 511-520, https://doi.org/10.1111/age.12943.
Weller, J. I., Gershoni, M. and Ezra, E., 2022. Breeding dairy cattle for female fertility and production in the age of genomics. Veterinary Sciences, 9(8), https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9080434.
Muuttoranta, K., Tyrisevä, A.-M., Mäntysaari, E.A., Pösö, J., Aamand, G.P. and Lidauer, M. H., 2019. Genetic parameters for female fertility in Nordic Holstein and red cattle dairy breeds. Journal of Dairy Science, 102(9), 8184-8196, https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2018-15858.
Buaban, S., Kuchida, K., Suzuki, M., Masuda, Y., Boonkum, W. and Duangjinda, M., 2016. Genetic analysis of the rates of conception using a longitudinal threshold model with random regression in dairy crossbreeding within a tropical environment. Animal Science Journal, 87(8), 961-971, https://doi.org/10.1111/asj.12521.
Fathoni, A., Boonkum, W., Chankitisakul, V. and Duangjinda, M., 2022. An appropriate genetic approach for improving reproductive traits in crossbred Thai-Holstein cattle under heat stress conditions. Veterinary Sciences, 9(4), https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9040163.
Kgari, R.D., Muller, C., Dzama, K. and Makgahlela, M.L., 2023. Estimation of genetic parameters for Heifer and cow fertility traits derived from on-farm AI service records of South African Holstein cattle. Animals, 12(16), https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12162023.
Aiumlamai, S., 2009. Dairy management, health and production in Thailand. International Dairy Topics, 8(2), 11-13.
Fahim, N.H., Ibrahim, MA-AM, Amin, A.H. and Sadek, R.R., 2021. Milk production and reproductive performance of retained and culled cows in a large Holstein herd in Egypt. World’s Veterinary Journal, 11(3), 474-483, https://dx.doi.org/10.54203/scil.2021.wvj61.
Beaudeau, F., Seegers, H., Ducrocq, V., Fourichon, C. and Bareille, N., 2000. Effect of health disorders on culling in dairy cows: a review and a critical discussion. Annales de Zootechnie, 49(4), 293-311, https://doi.org/10.1051/animres:2000102.
Krachangwong, B., Kasemsuwan, S. and Phimpraphai, V., 2013. Prevalence and risk factors associated bulk milk somatic cell counts greater than 500,000 cells/ml of dairy farms in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province. Journal of Kasetsart Veterinarians, 25(3), 105-114. (in Thai)
Jarassaeng, C., Aiumlamai, S., Wachirapakorn, C., Techakumphu, M., Noordhuizen, J.P.T. M., Beynen, A. and Suadsong, S., 2013. Risk factors of subclinical mastitis in small holder dairy cows in Khon Kaen province. The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 42(2), 143-151, https://doi.org/10.56808/2985-1130.2375.
Singh, A. and Ramachandran, A., 2020. Assessment of hygienic milking practices and prevalence of bovine mastitis in small dairy farms of Peri-Urban area of Jaipur. Indian Journal of Community Medicine, 45(Suppl 1), 21-25, https://doi.org/10.4103/IJCM.IJCM_363_19.
Piyanat, P., 2022. Effect of lameness on daily milk yield in dairy cow. The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 52(4), 679-687, https://doi.org/10.56808/2985-1130.3263.
Garvey, M., 2022. Lameness in dairy cow herds: Disease aetiology, prevention and management. Dairy, 3, 199-210, https://doi.org/10.3390/dairy3010016.
Tsousis, G., Boscos, C. and Praxitelous, A., 2022. The negative impact of lameness on dairy cow reproduction. Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 57(S4), 33-39, https://doi.org/10.1111/rda.14210.
Rilanto, T., Reimus, K., Orro, T., Emanuelson, U., Viltrop, A. and Mõtus, K., 2020. Culling reasons and risk factors in Estonian dairy cows. BMC Veterinary Research, 16(1), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-020-02384-6.
Ratanapob, N., Thiangtum, W., Rukkwamsuk, T., Srisomrun, S., Panneum, S. and Arunvipas, P., 2020. The relationship between lameness and reproductive performance in dairy cows raised in small holder farms, Thailand. Songklanakarin Journal of Science and Technology, 42(4), 766-770.
Sadiq, M.B., Ramanoon, S.Z., Mossadeq, W.M.S., Mansor, R. and Syed-Hussain, S.S., 2021. Prevalence and risk factors for hoof lesions in dairy cows in peninsular Malaysia. Livestock Science, 245, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2021.104404.
Wongsanit, J., Srisomrun, S., Kananub, S., Panneum, S. and Arunvipas, P., 2015. Prevalence and risk factors for lameness in dairy cows raised in small holder farms in Western Thailand. Journal of Kasetsart Veterinarians, 25, 47-55. (in Thai)
Telezhenko, E., Magnusson, M. and Bergsten, C., 2017. Gait of dairy cows on floors with different slipperiness. Journal of Dairy Science, 100(8), 6494-6503, https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2016-12208.
Mishra, M., Upadhyay, D., Gurav, A. and Domple, V., 2017. Effect of floor on lameness in crossbred dairy cow. International Journal of Livestock Research, 7(12), 22-40.
Arunvipas, P. Setkit, T., Wongsanit, J., Rukkwamsuk, T., Homwong, N. and Sangmalee, A., 2023. Effect of cow block on healing duration of claw lesions and lesion severities in lame cows in western Thailand. Veterinary World, 16(2), 258-263.
Xue, X., Hu, H., Zhang, J., Ma, Y., Han, L., Hao, F., Jiang, Y. and Ma, Y., 2022. Estimation of genetic parameters for conformation traits and milk production traits in Chinese Holsteins. Animals, 13(1), https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13010100.
Koonawootrittriron, S., Elzo, M.A. and Thongprapi, T., 2009. Genetic trends in a Holstein × other breeds multibreed dairy population in Central Thailand. Livestock Science, 122(2), 186-192.
Buaban, S., Puangdee, S., Duangjinda, M. and Boonkum, W., 2020. Estimation of genetic parameters and trends for production traits of dairy cattle in Thailand using a multiple-trait multiple-lactation test day model. Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences, 33(9), 1387-1399, https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.19.0141.
Boonkum, W., Misztal, I., Duangjinda, M., Pattarajinda, V., Tumwasorn, S. and Sanpote, J., 2011. Genetic effects of heat stress on milk yield of Thai Holstein crossbreds. Journal of Dairy Science, 94(1), 487-492, https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2010-3421.
Sarakul, M., Koonawootrittriron, S., Elzo, M.A. and Suwanasopee, T., 2011. Factors influencing genetic change for milk yield within farms in Central Thailand. Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences, 24(8), 1031-1040, https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.2011.10401.