Short communication: Jersey x Holstein crossbreds compared with pure Holsteins for body weight, body condition score, fertility, and survival during the first three lactations

Crossbred cows (n = 80) resulting from the use of Jersey (JE) semen on their pure Holstein (HO) dams were compared with pure HO cows (n = 77) for body weight, body condition score, fertility, and survival during their first 3 lactations. Cows were in 2 research herds of the University of Minnesota and calved from September 2003 to June 2008. The JE x HO crossbred cows had significantly less body weight during the first (-56 kg), second (-67 kg), and third (-82 kg) lactations than pure HO cows. However, JE x HO cows had significantly greater body condition score during the first (2.94 vs. 2.84), second (2.97 vs. 2.84), and third (2.99 vs. 2.87) lactations than pure HO cows. For fertility, JE x HO cows had fewer days to first breeding during the first (-10.6 d), second (-8.4 d), and third (-12.3 d) lactations than pure HO cows. Crossbred cows were not significantly different from pure HO cows for number of services during first lactation; however, JE x HO cows had significantly fewer services (2.2) than pure HO cows (2.7) during the second lactation. Also, JE x HO cows had significantly fewer days open than pure HO cows in the first (-24 d), second (-42 d), and third (-42 d) lactations. For survival, JE x HO cows were not significantly different from pure HO cows for percentage of cows calving a second time; however, a tendency existed for a higher percentage of JE x HO cows (63.8%) than pure HO cows (49.4%) to calve a third time, and a higher percentage of JE x HO cows calved a third time within 28, 34, and 40 mo of first calving than pure HO cows.