Relationship of Body Condition Score at Calving with Animal Weight and some Measurements Udder in Holstein Cows

Abstract

The Great Diwaniyah cows station, at the southern entrance of Al-Dagarah district in Al-Diwaniyah Governorate, was the study’s location from 6/12/2021 to 25/2/2023. It examined the relationship between body condition score (BCS) and animal weight and udder measurements in Iraqi-bred Holstein cows. The 50 cows in parity2 were divided by body condition at calving into three groups (BCS1 = 2.5-3 point (17 cows), BCS2 = 3-4 point (20 cows), and BCS3 = 4 -5 point (13 cows)) based on 1-5 point scal. They were milked twice a day, morning and evening, by an automatic milking machine. BCS3 group had significantly higher body weight at calving (477.15 kg) and peak lactation (413.92 kg) (P≤0.01) compared to BCS2 group (429.55 kg) and BCS1 group (382.55 kg) (P≤0.01). Examining the link between body condition score (BCS) and udder measures before milking, BCS1 group exhibited a significant (P≤0.05) udder elevation of 67.70 cm compared to BCS2 group at 63.52 cm. No significant differences were seen between these two groups and BCS3, which reported 65.57 cm. In the BCS2 group, the average length of the anterior nipples was substantially longer (P≤0.01, 7.87 cm) compared to the other two groups. In BCS2, the average length of posterior nipples was substantially longer (P≤0.01) at 6.95 cm compared to 6.15 cm in BCS1. The average distance between the front and posterior nipples in the three groups did not differ significantly. Compared to BCS2 group, BCS1 group had substantially greater udder height (69.08 cm) from the ground (P≤0.05) compared to BCS2 group (66.12 cm). No significant difference was seen between these two groups and BCS3, which was 67.36 cm. The average length of the anterior nipples was significantly shorter (P≤0.01) in the BCS2 group (6.97 cm) than in the BCS3 or BCS1 groups. The BCS3 group had a significantly longer average length (6.56 cm) than the BCS1 group (6.07 cm). The BCS2 group had a significantly longer average posterior nipple length (6.22 cm) compared to the BCS1 group (5.61 cm) (P≤0.05). The average posterior nipple length was similar in BCS2 and BCS1 groups and BCS3 group. The average distance between the front and posterior nipples in the three groups was not significantly different. The BCS2 group had a significantly higher difference in udder height before and after milking (P≤0.01) compared to BCS3 and BCS1, with a difference of 2.60 cm compared to 1.78 and 1.38 cm, respectively. In the BCS2 group, the average length of the anterior nipples decreased significantly (P≤0.01) after milking, reaching -0.895 cm compared to the BCS1 and BCS3 groups (-0.517 and -0.623 cm, respectively). The BCS2 group showed a substantial (P≤0.01) decrease in hind nipple length after milking, with a decrease of -0.730 cm compared to BCS1 and BCS3, which showed -0.535 and -0.569 cm, respectively. After milking, the BCS2 group showed a substantial reduction (P≤0.01) in the distance between the front and posterior nipples compared to BCS1 or BCS3 groups. The study shows that physical condition affects animal weight and several udder parameters during calving.