Culling of Estonian dairy cows -

causes and risk factors

a a a b
Triin Rilanto *, Kaari Reimus , Toomas Orro , Ulf Emanuelson , Arvo Viltrop , Kerli Mõtus a a
aInstitute
of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Estonian University of Life Science, Tartu, Estonia
bDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden

AIM - determine the causes and risk factors for culling of dairy cows in Estonia

MATERIALS AND METHODS CONCLUSIONS

DATA
• Estonian Agricultural Registers Information Board • Main causes of culling - feet/claw, udder,
• Estonian Livestock Performance Recording, Ltd. metabolic and digestive disorders
• Herd with ≥20 cow-years
• All lactations between 1 January 2013 – 31 December 2015 • Early post-partum period - highest risk of culling
• Observation period from calving to calving • Last third of the lactation period - fertility
problems are the leading cause of culling
ANALYSES
• Weibull proportional hazard random effect models • To lower culling rates ensure good health around
• Culling = death + euthanasia + slaughter parturition and easy calving
• Variables retained if p < 0.001

REASONS FOR CULLING BY LACTATION STAGE IN PRIMIPAROUS AND MULTIPAROUS COWS

Feet/claw disorders (27.2%) Feet/claw disorders (30.9%) Fertility problems (38.2%)

Udder disorders (19.4%) Udder disorders (25.0%) Feet/claw disorders (19.7%)
Metabolic and digestive disorders (17.1%) Metabolic and digestive disorders (11.5%) Udder disorders (12.7%)
Calving A 100 DIM 200 DIM

Metabolic and digestive disorders (31.7%) Udder disorders (35.0%) Fertility problems (28.1%)
Feet/claw disorders (25.6%) Feet/claw disorders (33.1%) Feet/claw disorders (24.6%)
Udder disorders (21.2%) Metabolic and digestive disorders (11.1%) Udder disorders (21.0%)

DIM – days in milk

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Authors are grateful for The Estonian Agricultural Registers and Information Board and Estonian Livestock Performance *Contact: triin.rilanto@emu.ee
Recording Ltd for data query. This work was supported by the Estonian Research Council grant (PSG268).