Question

Is Rotbunt cow more suitable as a dairy cow for a irish grass base system instead of the holstein cow?

Answer

I must confess I am not familiar with the Rotbunt breed and had to look it up. It is basically a dual purpose breed with good dairy characteristics. In contrast to the Holstein, yields would be much lower on average – approx. 1200 gallons a year on a grass based system – but milk solids would be much better, with milk protein in the region of 3.7-4.0% depending on grass quality etc. There is no doubt in my mind that the Holstein cow is a very difficult cow to feed using the traditional Irish grass-based model. Holstein cows require a much higher dry matter and energy intake than British friesians or similar breeds. This can often be a big problem in this country where weather conditions play such a major role in determining grass growth, quality and feed intake. Without the addition of energy dense feeds such as maize or beet pulp, together with significant quantities of concentrates, dairy cow diets can often be deficient in energy in spring and early summer. In many Irish herds there can also be a big difference in milk yield between the highest (usually Holsteins) and lowest yielders in the herd (up to 3000 litres). On a grass based system with added concentrates in the parlour, it can be almost impossible to adequately meet the needs of these higher yielding cows. The farmer will feed for the average milk yield in the herd and so these average and lower yielding cows will thrive and produce well in terms of both milk yield and fertility, while the high yielding Holstein will not be receiving enough energy and will milk off her back leading to weight loss, failure to reach full peak milk production and infertility. Infertility in particular is a major problem with the Holstein breed in general and they are also more prone to lameness. When all these factors are taken into account, i.e. infertility, low milk solids, lameness and feeding difficulties, there is definitely a case for using cows more in the mould of the Rotbund in many Irish farming enterprises.

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