Productive lifespan and lifetime production of dual-purpose and dairy breeds in mixed herds under grassland-based systems

Abstract

Dairy cow longevity is a key trait combining multiple functional traits and is decisive for sustainability of dairy production. This study addresses the hypothesis that under low-input production conditions, dual-purpose breeds outperform dairy breeds in terms of longevity. Herdbook data of 1796 culled Swiss cows in 72 mixed dairy farms were used to compare two dual-purpose breeds (Original Braunvieh (OB) and Simmental (SI)) with three dairy breeds (Swiss Fleckvieh (SF), Brown Swiss (BS) and Holstein (HO)). Each selected mixed herd included at least one dual-purpose and one dairy breed managed under the same conditions. Breeds were compared for length of productive lifespan (LPL; days from first calving to culling), lifetime milk production (LTP; kg energy corrected milk) and average daily milk yield during LPL (DMY_LPL; kg energy corrected milk). OB cows lived significantly longer than HO (1946 ± 71 d vs. 1695 ± 55 d, p = 0.046), whereas SI cows did not (1683 ± 62 d, p = 0.999). Both dual-purpose breeds produced significantly less milk per day (OB: 17.8 ± 0.3 kg, SI: 18.0 ± 0.3 kg) than SF (19.1 ± 0.2 kg) and HO (19.7 ± 0.3 kg). However, OB cows compensated with greater longevity, resulting in the numerically highest LTP (35,584 ± 1315 kg), which did not statistically differ from the specialised dairy breeds. In conclusion, choosing a dual-purpose breed does not necessarily ensure longer productive lifespans: while OB showed a clear advantage, SI cows exhibited shorter productive lifespan, likely due to breed-specific production conditions.