Investigation on body condition score, milk yield, reproductive performance, and health of dairy cows in four intensive dairy farms during lactation cycle

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of body condition score (BCS) on the milk yield, reproductive performance, and health status of lactating dairy cows. Data were collected from 1,960 cows across four dairy farms at 21 days prepartum, on the day of calving, and at 21, 50, 150, 200, and 250 days postpartum. The dataset included BCS, lactation performance, reproductive performance, disease incidence, and economic benefits for each cow. The cows were divided into seven groups based on BCS: ≤ 2.5, 2.75, 3.0, 3.25, 3.5, 3.75, and ≥ 4, with 40 cows per group at each time point (ten cows were selected from each of the four farms based on BCS differences at each time point for the experiment). The results demonstrated significant differences in BCS, milk yield, reproductive performance, and disease incidence among cows from different dairy farms. From 21 days prepartum to the day of calving, cows with BCS of 3.25 and 3.5 exhibited superior milk yield, reproductive performance, and economic benefits, as well as lower disease incidence. From 21 to 250 days postpartum, cows with BCS values of 3.0 and 3.25 continued to show improvements in milk yield, reproductive performance, and economic benefits, along with a reduction in disease incidence. These findings suggest that the ideal BCS for cows at 21 days prepartum and on the day of calving is 3.5, while BCS of 3.25 is optimal for cows at 21 days postpartum, and BCS of 3.0 is recommended for cows from 50 to 250 days postpartum.