| dc.description.abstract | SUMMARY
Background: Transrectal ultrasonography is a valuable tool in the reproductive
management of dairy cattle, however, it is still not used in a large proportion of
the Hungarian dairies.
Objectives: The aim of our study was to quantify the impact of the reproductive
ultrasound examinations on the production parameters and the profitability com pared to palpation per rectum in a dairy herd.
Materials and Methods: A field experiment was carried out in a Hungarian dairy
herd with 420 Holstein-Friesian cows between October 2014 and February 2015.
After checking the uterine involution on day 42 postpartum, cows were randomly
assigned into two groups. In the palpation group (n = 30), all reproductive exami nations – including the pregnancy diagnoses 40–46 days after insemination –
were performed by rectal palpation. In the ultrasound group (n = 32), all repro ductive examinations – and the pregnancy checks 30–36 days after insemination
– were performed by means of transrectal ultrasonography. In the economic anal ysis the cost of semen, the reproductive treatment costs and the veterinary fee
were taken into account as costs, and the reduction of losses due to days open
was considered as benefit.
Results and Discussion: In the ultrasonography group, the proportion of preg nant cows by the end of the study increased by 5.5% points (68.8% vs. 63.3%), and
these cows received less reproductive treatments (2.9 vs. 3.9 times) compared to
the palpation group. Concerning the pregnant cows in the ultrasound group, days
to first service and days open were reduced by 7 and 12 days (74 vs. 81 and 106 vs.
118), respectively, breeding interval was shortened by 29.6 days (32 vs. 61.6), and
these cows required 0.4 more inseminations (2.0 vs. 1.6 times) compared to the
pregnant cows in the palpation group. Concerning the cows remaining open in the
ultrasound group, days to first service was reduced by one day (71 vs. 72), and these
cows received 0.6 more reproductive treatments (5.6 vs. 5.0 times) and slightly
more inseminations (2.2 vs. 2.1 times). The cost of an open day accounted for € 6.5
on average. Earlier conception achieved by ultrasound reproductive examinations
generated € 49.46 net income (€ 53.62 additional income – € 4.16 extra cost) com pared to palpation per rectum per cow on average, which means about € 20 000
annual extra profit in this herd. | en_US |
