Effect of stillbirths on dam survival and reproduction performance in Holstein dairy cows

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of stillbirth on survival and reproductive performance of lactating dairy cows. Data were collected from 2 different regions of the US calving-ease scores (CES) were recorded by farm personnel on a scale of 1 (no problem) to 5 (extreme difficulty). Stillbirths were recorded by farm personnel. The final analysis included 13,608 calvings of which 93.4% were live calves and 6.6% stillbirths. An increasing or decreasing trend in the incidence of stillbirth by parity and by CES was analyzed by Cochran-Armitage trend tests. A significant decreasing trend in the incidence of stillbirth by parity group was detected. The incidence of stillbirth increased as the CES increased. The incidence of stillbirths was 3.6, 11.2, 25.9, and 60.1% for CES score 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Dam survival in the herd and reproductive performance were analyzed by the Cox proportional hazards model. Variables that decreased dam survival time were stillbirths, primiparity, and CES of 3 and 4. The variables that reduced reproductive performance were stillbirths, multiparity, male calves, and CES of 3 and 4. Cows that had stillbirths had significantly increased risk of culling/death throughout the lactation and increased median days open by 88 d compared with cows that had live calves. In conclusion, losses from stillbirths are far greater than just the value of the calf.