Factors influencing heifer survival and fertility on commercial dairy farms*

The average dairy cow survives only three lactations, reducing the availability of replacement heifers. Prenatal losses occur due to early embryonic mortality (about 40%), later embryo loss (up to 20% in high-yielding herds) or abortion (about 5%). A recent survey of 19 UK herds showed that 7.9% of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: D.C. Wathes, J.S. Brickell, N.E. Bourne, A. Swali, Z. Cheng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2008-01-01
Series:Animal
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731108002322

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