Evaluation of various measures of and factors influencing feed efficiency of dairy cattle

Early part records for milk yield and feed consumption of 2230 first lactation purebred and crossbred dairy cows were analyzed to evaluate various measures of feed efficiency. Corrected milk yield was estimated by adjusting the second 8 wk of milk yield for differences in weight of TDN consumed during wk 9 to 16, percentage of TDN derived from concentrate, and BW.75. Corrected milk yield is an estimate assuming that cows are the same size and consume the same amount of feed. Hence, it represents an expression of feed efficiency. Net feed efficiency, gross efficiency, corrected milk yield, and wk 9 to 16 milk were analyzed simultaneously. Coefficient of determination for net efficiency (.51) and gross efficiency (.72) were lower than that of milk (.82), whereas corrected milk yield had a coefficient of determination similar to that of milk. Hence, the use of ratios to define feed efficiency was less accurate than using corrected milk yield. Effects of genetic groups, stations, season of freshening, year of freshening, and heterosis were similar for gross efficiency and corrected milk yield, but different from those for milk. Therefore, corrected milk yield performed the same function as feed efficiency with higher accuracy.