| Autor: |
Knob DA; Centro de Ciências Agroveterinárias (CAV), Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), Lages 88520-000, Brazil.; Organic Farming with Focus on Sustainable Soil Use, Justus Liebig Universität-Giessen (JLU), 35394 Giessen, Germany., Scholz AM; Lehr- und Versuchsgut Oberschleißheim, Tierärztlichen Fakultät, Ludwig Maximilians Universität München (LMU), 85764 Oberschleißheim, Germany., Perazzoli L; Centro de Ciências Agroveterinárias (CAV), Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), Lages 88520-000, Brazil., Mendes BPB; Centro de Ciências Agroveterinárias (CAV), Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), Lages 88520-000, Brazil., Kappes R; Centro de Ciências Agroveterinárias (CAV), Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), Lages 88520-000, Brazil.; Lehr- und Versuchsgut Oberschleißheim, Tierärztlichen Fakultät, Ludwig Maximilians Universität München (LMU), 85764 Oberschleißheim, Germany., Alessio DRM; Núcleo de Educação a Distância, Centro Universitário Leonardo da Vinci, Rua Marechal Deodoro da Fonseca, Indaial 89084-405, Brazil., Rech ÂF; Estação Experimental de Lages, Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária e Extensão Rural de Santa Catarina (Epagri), Lages 88502-970, Brazil., Thaler Neto A; Centro de Ciências Agroveterinárias (CAV), Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), Lages 88520-000, Brazil. |
| Abstrakt: |
This study aimed to compare the feed efficiency (FE) and physiological parameters of Holstein and crossbred Holstein × Simmental cows in a confinement system during winter and summer. The study was conducted in a dairy farm in southern Brazil by including a total of 48 multiparous cows. The cows were studied for 21 days in two periods, summer and winter, and their daily dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield (MY), rectal temperature (RT), respiratory rate (RR), body weight, and body condition score were recorded. An analysis of variance was conducted using the SAS statistical package. The results showed that crossbred Holstein × Simmental cows have a similar FE as Holstein cows in a high-production system (1.83 × 1.81 kg DMI/kg MY, respectively), and they can achieve the same production levels as purebred Holstein cows (43.8 vs. 44.5 milk/cow/day). Our findings indicated a difference for the period as both genetic groups achieved higher FE in winter than in summer (1.98 vs. 1.67 DMI/kg MY, respectively). In addition, we found evidence that crossbred cows are better at dissipating body heat during heat-stress situations, as they have higher RR in summer compared to purebred cows, while Holstein cows have higher RT in summer afternoons than crossbred cows. Therefore, using crossbred Holstein × Simmental cows is an alternative for high-production systems. |
