Dairy herd management types assessed from indicators of health, reproduction, replacement, and milk production

Variables related to health, reproduction, replacement, and milk production in 111 Danish dairy herds were studied with factor analysis. The objectives were to identify management types and to assess the relevance of those types for herd milk production. Median herd size and total milk production were 59 cows and 7100 kg of energy-corrected milk, respectively. Based on cow data, 22 herd variables were defined. A factor analysis identified 10 first-order factors and 5 second-order factors. The latter factors were valid indicators of replacement intensity, variability of milk production, potential for peak milk production, disease, and a complex pattern related to herd size and age, cow size, and live cattle sales. The potential for peak milk production, replacement intensity, and variability of milk production were strong predictors of herd milk production. Interactions with herd size were important. The derived factor scoring coefficients allowed assessment of the management type of a given herd.