How to breed a healthier herd

Let’s consider one of the most common metabolic diseases – ketosis.

A daughter of a bull with an estimated breeding value (EBV) of 120 in Ketosis will have fewer ketosis cases than a daughter of a bull with 100 EBV, which is the breed average.

For VikingHolstein, this will mean an 18% decrease in cases of ketosis relative to the average.

What does this mean in real life? Let’s take an example of two farms with Holstein cows:

• Farm A has 500 cows, of which 2% experience ketosis each year = 10 cases. 
• Farm B has 500 cows, of which 10% experience ketosis each year = 50 cases.

A bull with EBV 120 for the Ketosis sub-trait can reduce the disease frequency so that farm A will go from 10 to 8 cases of ketosis per year and farm B from 50 to 41.

This also applies to other issues, such as early reproductive disorders, where an EBV 120 for this sub-trait will mean 28% fewer cases compared to the VikingHolstein average.

If you struggle with a high level of diseases in the transition period, choose the bulls with a high EBV for the General health index to enhance the transition health of your herd.

The General health index in NTM gives you a comprehensive breakdown of cattle health, covering more than 80 diagnoses.