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Variations in Amount of Culling from D. H. I. A. Herds

Animal Husbandry Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y.

ABSTRACT

It is well known that the average productive life of the dairy cow is short compared with her potential life and that it is less than 4 yr. Figures for U. S. A. given by Lush and Lacy (5), Cannon and Hansen (3), for England by Smith and Robison (6), for Scotland by Wright (8), for Wales by Howell (4) and for New Zealand by Ward (7), all give this approximate interval as the average at which they are culled. It has been pointed out repeatedly that this unpleasant fact leaves but a small margin for profit, and, perhaps more important, gives little chance for improvement in yield by selection of heifer calves.

The steady accumulation of culling data by state Dairy Herd Improvement Associations gives an opportunity to study the causes for this short effective life and to observe the trends that are taking place. Also there is a limited amount of data on the effects of age upon the rate of culling for various major reasons that shed light upon this most serious problem.