Quick administration of good quality colostrum is pivotal for neonatal calves to ensure passive transfer of immunity. Although either colostrum yield (CY) or quality of dams is sometimes insufficient, farmers bypass this issue by drawing from the internal colostrum bank, administering fresh colostrum of other cows, or using preparations enriched with Ig, making colostrum individual traits rather neglected phenotypes. Our aims were to compare lactation performance of Holstein cows with different levels of CY at first milking and assess correlations with official genomic indexes calculated by Italian National Association of Holstein, Brown and Jersey Breeders (ANAFIBJ) in early 2025. Colostrum yield data referred to 2022 and 61 farms of Northern Italy. For each cow (n = 2,280), we had CY volume recorded within 6 h from calving along with milk yield (MY, kg) and protein content (PC, %) at first test-day (15–60 DIM), MY at lactation peak, and average MY and PC in the first 150 DIM. For the ANOVA, the model included farm as random, whereas parity, season of calving, IgG concentration as covariate, CY class (low, <3 L; medium-low, 3–4 L; medium-high, 4–6 L; high, >6 L), and interaction between parity and CY class were fixed effects. MY at first test-day, at lactation peak, and its 150-d average were significantly affected by CY and the greatest LSM always in the high class. Least squares means of PC revealed an opposite trend. For example, PC at first test-day was 3.20% ± 0.24% and 3.09% ± 0.26% in the low and high CY class, respectively. The ANAFIBJ indexes were available for 215 cows genotyped in 6 out of the 61 initial farms. The aggregate udder index was significantly associated with CY (−0.28) and raw means were 0.09 in low class and −0.80 in high class. Conformation indexes were significantly correlated with CY too: overall morphology (−0.22) and udder support (−0.24), depth (−0.26), and attachment (−0.27). Our findings open the debate on the possibility to develop a selection index for dams’ “colostrability” based on CY and Ig concentration for improving calves’ resistance to diseases, and survival.
Costa, A., Visentin, G., Goi, A., Finocchiaro, R., Marusi, M., Van Kham, J.T., et al. (2025). Colostrum yield is associated with cows’ performance in subsequent lactation and udder conformation indexes in Italian Holsteins.
Colostrum yield is associated with cows’ performance in subsequent lactation and udder conformation indexes in Italian Holsteins
A. Costa
;G. Visentin;
2025
Abstract
Quick administration of good quality colostrum is pivotal for neonatal calves to ensure passive transfer of immunity. Although either colostrum yield (CY) or quality of dams is sometimes insufficient, farmers bypass this issue by drawing from the internal colostrum bank, administering fresh colostrum of other cows, or using preparations enriched with Ig, making colostrum individual traits rather neglected phenotypes. Our aims were to compare lactation performance of Holstein cows with different levels of CY at first milking and assess correlations with official genomic indexes calculated by Italian National Association of Holstein, Brown and Jersey Breeders (ANAFIBJ) in early 2025. Colostrum yield data referred to 2022 and 61 farms of Northern Italy. For each cow (n = 2,280), we had CY volume recorded within 6 h from calving along with milk yield (MY, kg) and protein content (PC, %) at first test-day (15–60 DIM), MY at lactation peak, and average MY and PC in the first 150 DIM. For the ANOVA, the model included farm as random, whereas parity, season of calving, IgG concentration as covariate, CY class (low, <3 L; medium-low, 3–4 L; medium-high, 4–6 L; high, >6 L), and interaction between parity and CY class were fixed effects. MY at first test-day, at lactation peak, and its 150-d average were significantly affected by CY and the greatest LSM always in the high class. Least squares means of PC revealed an opposite trend. For example, PC at first test-day was 3.20% ± 0.24% and 3.09% ± 0.26% in the low and high CY class, respectively. The ANAFIBJ indexes were available for 215 cows genotyped in 6 out of the 61 initial farms. The aggregate udder index was significantly associated with CY (−0.28) and raw means were 0.09 in low class and −0.80 in high class. Conformation indexes were significantly correlated with CY too: overall morphology (−0.22) and udder support (−0.24), depth (−0.26), and attachment (−0.27). Our findings open the debate on the possibility to develop a selection index for dams’ “colostrability” based on CY and Ig concentration for improving calves’ resistance to diseases, and survival.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
