Profit higher with Norwegian Red cows
Trials were conducted on 20 dairy farms, and involved 221 locally-bred Holstein-Friesians, and 221 Norwegian Reds, all imported from Norway as heifers.
However, since trials started, much greater emphasis on fertility and longevity traits has resulted in an improvement in fertility within the UK Holstein-Friesian herd.
Norwegian Reds had fewer first and second calving difficulties, with only 4% first calving stillbirths or deaths in 24 hours, compared to 13% for Holstein-Friesians.
There was no difference in stillbirths from the second lactation on.
Norwegian Reds had poorer calving and milking temperament in the first three weeks of the first lactation, but produced higher protein-content milk. Milk fat content did not differ between breeds.
Holstein-Friesians tended to have higher 305-day milk yields in lactations one to three (averaging 6,476 versus 5,219 litres), followed by 7206 vs 7178 litres in lactations four and five. Milk solids, and yield response to additional concentrates, were unaffected by breed.
SCC was about 40% lower in Norwegian Reds (9% of Holsteins and 4.1% of Norwegians were culled for mastitis).
Norwegian Reds had poorer udder conformation, with 6.8% eventually culled due to poor udder conformation, versus only 1% of Holsteins.
During the trial, 28.5% of Holstein-Friesians and 11.8% of Norwegian-Reds were culled as infertile; and 27.2% of Norwegian Reds and 16.3% of Holstein-Friesians survived to the end of the fifth lactation.
The average Holstein-Friesian completed 3.5 lactations, versus 4.2 for the Red.
The overall 22% economic advantage seen for Norwegian Reds was at a milk price of 26ppl.
The trail results can be downloaded from the www.agrisearch.org website website.
