| Abstrakt: |
A study was conducted to determine why cows are culled, whether cows are culled for multiple reasons, and whether farm characteristics can help explain why cows are culled. The primary reasons for culling were reproduction (i.e., failure to conceive), mastitis, and low production. For 35% of all cows that were culled, a secondary reason for culling was assigned by the farmer, and, for 11% of all cows that were culled, a tertiary reason was recorded. Using a weighting factor of 5:3:1 (primary:secondary:tertiary reasons for culling), a culling score was computed for each reason within a herd. |
