Short communication: A comparison between purebred Holstein and Brown Swiss x Holstein cows for milk production, somatic cell score, milking speed, and udder measurements in the first 3 lactations

Brown Swiss x Holstein (BS x HO) crossbred cows (n = 55) and purebred Holstein (HO) cows (n = 50) were compared for milk yield, fat and protein production, somatic cell score, milking speed, and udder measurements for the first 3 lactations. Cows from a designed experiment were housed in a freestall barn at the experimental station of the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, and calved from July 2005 to August 2008. Best prediction was used to determine actual production for 305-d lactations from test-day observations. For the first 3 lactations, BS x HO cows and HO cows were not significantly different for milk yield, fat and protein production, or SCS. Average milking time was significantly longer for BS x HO cows than for HO cows for first, second, and third lactations by 35, 51, and 30 s, respectively. Average milking speed expressed as average yield per minute was significantly lower for BS x HO cows than for HO cows for the first 3 lactations by 0.19, 0.35, and 0.19 kg/min, respectively. Front and rear teats were significantly longer for BS x HO cows than for HO cows. Furthermore, front and rear udder clearance was significantly lower for BS x HO cows compared with HO cows in first and second lactations.