Abstract #M218

# M218
Reproductive performance of lactating dairy cows managed with the Short-Resynch or the Day25-Resynch protocol.
Robert Wijma*1, Martin M. Pérez1, Emily M. Sitko1, Matteo Scarbolo1, Froylan Sosa Hernandez1, Julio O. Giordano1, 1Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

Our objectives were to evaluate time to pregnancy for dairy cows managed with the Short-Resynch (SR) or Day25-Resynch (D25R) protocol. Lactating Holstein cows not pregnant after first service from 2 farms were stratified by parity (1 vs. >1) and assigned to the SR (n = 1,533) or the D25R (n = 1,555) treatment. Cows in D25R received GnRH 25 ± 3 d after AI. At 32 ± 3 d after AI, nonpregnant cows from SR and D25R with a corpus luteum (CL) ≥ 15 mm and a follicle ≥10 mm received PGF (PGF), 24 h later PGF, 32 h later GnRH, and 16 h later TAI. Cows without a CL ≥15 mm and/or a follicle ≥10 mm (NoCL cows) received an Ovsynch protocol with 2 PGF treatments and progesterone (P4) supplementation (GnRH+CIDR-7 d-CIDR-out+PGF-1 d-PGF-32 h-GnRH-16 h-TAI). Circulating P4 concentration was determined (n = 659 cows) at the GnRH treatment before TAI. Binomial data were analyzed using logistic regression and time to pregnancy [only cows with 210 d at risk after first AI (D25R = 543; SR = 512)] using Cox’s proportional hazards regression. A greater (P < 0.01) proportion of inseminations were conducted at detected estrus in SR (60.4%) than in D25R (49.8%) but, P/AI did not differ (P = 0.14; D25R = 40.4%; n = 1,191 vs. SR = 37.8%; n = 1,489). More cows had a CL at NPD (P < 0.01) in D25R (84.3%; n = 1,139) than SR (78.5%; n = 939). Pregnancies per AI differed for all TAI combined (P = 0.01; D25R = 40.7% vs. SR = 35.4%), for CL cows (P < 0.01; D25R = 40.9%vs. SR = 32.8%), and tended to differ for NoCL cows (P = 0.06; D25R = 39.1% vs. SR = 44.6%). Treatment did not affect pregnancy loss (P > 0.10). The proportion of cows with P4 < 0.5 ng/mL at the GnRH before TAI did not differ (P > 0.10). The hazard of pregnancy was not affected by treatment (P = 0.77; HR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.85–1.13) or parity (P = 0.71; HR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.87–1.16). Median days to pregnancy were 75 and 74 for SR and D25R, respectively. The proportion of nonpregnant cows 210 d after first service was similar (P = 0.20) for SR (23.6%) and D25R (20.3%). In conclusion, the Short-Resynch protocol resulted in more inseminations at detected estrus and similar time to pregnancy than the D25-Resynch protocol in spite of a reduction in P/AI for TAI services for CL cows. Supported by NYFVI Project FVI17–013 and USDA Hatch NYC127434.

Key Words: Short-Resynch, resynchronization, dairy cow