The resilience of dairy cows – what is the benefit for cattle breeders

VAŘEKA, Jan, KAŠNÁ Eva and ZAVADILOVÁ, Ludmila. The resilience of dairy cows – what is the benefit for cattle breeders. Náš chov, 2022, vol. 82(9), p. 51-52. ISSN .
Year2022
CathegoryOthers
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Abstract

Climate change in central Europe brings to the Czech Republic annually tropical weather cohere with not enough and not regular total precipitation. Dairy cows are against tropical temperatures the most sensitive because they are not physiology resistant. Cows have decreased milk yield, and they are more diseased. A new trait, „the resilience of cows,“ can provide a tool for supporting heat tolerance and health against illnesses. Resilience is partly caused by genetic factors, and it can be used as a new trait in dairy cows’ breeding. Resilience is generally defined as the ability of animals to resist disturbing effects or to return quickly to their pre-exposure state after they have subsided. These effects can divide according to a range of influences on macro and micro environments or physical and psychical effects. Resistant cows are called “invisible cows”, which do not require any attention from farmers. An indicator of resilience has not been implemented, but it can be daily milk yield, feed intake or way of behaving. It is necessary to monitor the deviations of cows with resilient genotypes and the speed of recovery after the resolution of stressors. Several studies showed genetic linkage among indicators of resilience and some disorders. Resilience indicators were variability in daily milk yield, production of milk components and number of steps. Lower variance in these indicators is linked with decreased incidence of metabolic disorders, claw disorders and clinical mastitis and also optimal feed intake and body condition score. According to the results of current studies, the selection of resilient genotypes has a potentially positive impact, which could ultimately support the competitiveness of Czech breeders against the global market.