One of the basic conditions for achieving a positive production and meeting economic objectives in cattle breeding is their high and regular reproductive performance. Amongst the most significant factors influencing cattle fertility is the health state of heifers. To breed cattle successfully, it is essential to ensure that their feet are in a good condition, in particular hoofs. Diseased feet lead to the reduction of cattle performance and affect their welfare which results in a negative impact on cattle fertility. This thesis is concerned with the influence of cattle lameness on reproductive indicators of cows. For the purpose of the research, a group of cows from ZD Pluhuv Zdar including 843 dairy cows of the Holstein breed and Czech Simmental breed was studied. Equally, all cows originated from two different types of stabling. The following information were checked about each cow: the identification number, stabling number, breed, age, date of calving, order of lactation, performance, interim period, service period, insemination interval, insemination index and any relevant hoof problems. The impact of hoof problems on reproductive indicators that depended on the order of lactation and breed were analysed in the program Statistica using two-factor anova. It was observed that there existed a significant influence of hoof disease on each reproduction indicator. Dairy cows on the 3rd and higher level of lactation showed an evident difference in the length of the interim period. It was found that healthy dairy cows without any hoof disease had on average 385 day long interim period, whereas dairy cows with hoof problems had 398 day long interim period. It is apparent that the interim period was lengthened by 13 days in dairy cows with lameness. In addition, the values for service period and insemination index increased in the group with cattle lameness (by 17 days and the value of 3.17). In the case of insemination interval values, the difference between healthy and diseased cows was the least apparent. Furthermore, it was proven that the combination of infectious and non-infectious diseases have the greatest impact on reproduction indicators that seem to increase their value as a result. This causes a great deal of stress to an organism of an animal. When comparing reproduction indicators between breeds, it was noticeable that there was an influence on the cross breeding and how strained the Holstein breed was. The average length of interim period was 8 days longer in the Holstein breed group than Czech Simmental cattle. Furthermore, the length of the service period was 5 days longer in the Holstein cattle group. From the data, it can be concluded that any hoof disease in herds should not be neglected and stock breeders should pay increased attention to hoof problems since it could pose a risk on the whole stock breeding economics. A stock breeder should focus on the regular and careful trimming, washing and treatment of hoofs. In addition, attention should be paid to stabling and how comfortable it is for dairy cows, as well as the quality and complexity of feeding portions that are served.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:nusl.cz/oai:invenio.nusl.cz:376330 |
| Date | January 2018 |
| Creators | VRABČEKOVÁ, Monika |
| Source Sets | Czech ETDs |
| Language | Czech |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/masterThesis |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
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