Connections between health of calves, growth and later yields of dairy cattle

Focal points in rearing dairy calves and heifers are lower costs and supporting later productivity. Object of the present investigations are diseases of suckling calves and their effect on growth and milk yield in first lactation. All female calves of breed Deutsche Holstein born from 1998 to 2001 in the experimental farm Groß Kreutz were used for evaluation. There were information of 270 calves for disease and losing rates and information of 172 heifers for growth and yield in first lactation. 27% of the calves were not, 32.2% diseased three or more times during the suckling period of 12 weeks. There was a tendentious connection between the content of gammaglobulines in blood and the rates of diseases and losing. The losing rate until end of first lactation of not and several diseased calves were significantly different. Also the daily gains during the first year were influenced by the  isease rate. Several diseased calves didn’t compensate the lower growth during rearing period, so that they were more than one month older at first calving. The fertility of heifers and cows was tendentious lower with higher disease rate of suckling calves. The milk yield in first lactation was not influenced by this parameter. The content of milk fat and the weight at calving were influenced by the age at first calving. The lowest milk yields were noticed for the heifers with an age at first calving lower than two years. There were only few significant correlations between growth and weight on the one hand and milk yield and fertility on the other hand. Between the weight after first calving and the milk yield in first lactation was a correlation of + 0.25. The correlations of weight on end of lactation to former milk yield were negative and to content  of milk fat and protein were positive.

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