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Economics of respiratory disease in dairy replacement heifers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2021

Michael W. Overton Open the ORCID record for Michael W. Overton [Opens in a new window]
Michael W. Overton*
Affiliation:
Zoetis Animal Health, Parsippany, New Jersey, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Michael W. Overton, Zoetis Animal Health, Parisppany, New Jersey, USA E-mail: michaelwoverton@gmail.com
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Abstract

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a frequent disease concern in dairy cattle and is most commonly diagnosed in young dairy heifers. The impact of BRD is highly variable, depending on the accuracy and completeness of detection, effectiveness of treatment, and on-farm culling practices. Consequences include decreased rate of weight gain, a higher culling risk either as heifers or as cows, delayed age at first service, delayed age at first calving, and in some cases, lower future milk production. In this data set of 104,100 dairy replacement heifers from across the USA, 36.6% had one or more cases diagnosed within the first 120 days of age with the highest risk of new cases occurring prior to weaning. Comparison of the raising cost for heifers with BRD and those without a recorded history of BRD resulted in an estimated cost per incident case occurring in the first 120 days of age of $252 or $282, depending upon whether anticipated future milk production differences were considered or not. Current market conditions contributed to a cost estimate that is significantly higher than previously published estimates, driven in part by the losses associated with selective culling of a subset of heifers that experienced BRD.

Keywords

Bovine respiratory diseasedairy heifer BRD costdairy replacement heifer
Type
Special issue: Papers from Bovine Respiratory Disease Symposium
Information
Animal Health Research Reviews , Volume 21 , Issue 2 , December 2020 , pp. 143 - 148
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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