Caracterização de propriedades leiteiras no noroeste do Rio Grande do Sul: fatores de risco associado a ocorrência de enfermidades em vacas

Abstract

The objective of this dissertation was to characterize properties of the microregion of Sananduva, Northwest mesoregion of Rio Grande do Sul, looking for risk factors associated with the occurrence of diseases in dairy cows. In the first study, 58 family farms were selected, with a total of 1636 animals in lactation, and, of these 58, 46 were monitored for a period of 13 months, evaluating the incidence of pathologies during lactation. A questionnaire was carried out with data on management, production and lactation, pre and postpartum management of the property and reproductive performance. Herds comprised an average of 28 lactating animals with an average production of 24.78±21.2 liters of milk/cow/day. Regarding the breeding systems, the most frequent was the semi-extensive with a predominance of cows of the Holstein-Friesian breed. In relation to pre-partum management, the low supply of acidogenic diet, lack of comfort, low percentage of kennels and coverage in the trough line stand out, which can culminate in low efficiency of the pre-partum diet. As a result, the incidence of pathologies was reported, analyzed across different systems and globally. In the second study, an associative analysis was carried out between variables of pre and postpartum management, management and performance related to the occurrence of diseases. For that, 7 rural properties were selected that had at least 50 lactating cows, of the Holstein breed and that were supplied with an acidogenic diet in the pre-partum period, in order to determine the incidence of diseases. Correlations were made between the managements and the incidence of uterine diseases. It was observed that animals that had access to the water trough before and after milking were less likely to have a retained placenta. Regarding pre-partum management, the use of a headlock in the trough line was beneficial for a lower incidence of metritis. In addition, when evaluating the surplus feed in the trough in the pre- and postpartum period, a lower incidence of endometritis is found. In conclusion, the use of technologies reduces losses.