Comparative analysis of production traits and culling outcomes in adult Holstein and Montbéliarde × Holstein crossbred cows

Holstein (H) cows and first-generation Montbéliarde × Holstein (MH) crossbred cows were compared for lactation performance, culling reasons, and cull price under the same intensive dairy production system. Data were obtained from a single commercial dairy farm in Jiangsu Province, China, including lactation records from 504 H cows and 367 MH cows and culling records from 345 H cows and 178 MH cows born between 2013 and 2022. Lactation traits from the first 3 parities were analyzed using linear mixed models, and culling reasons were evaluated using chi-squared tests and multinomial logistic regression, with low milk yield as the reference outcome. Overall milk yield and milk component yields did not differ between breeds across lactations (differences < 1.6%). However, H cows exhibited a higher peak milk yield (48.3 vs. 46.9 kg), whereas days to peak milk yield were similar between breeds, with only a small numerical difference. The distribution of culling reasons differed markedly between breeds, with body condition abnormalities accounting for a larger proportion of culling in MH cows (41.6% vs. 15.4%) and a higher proportion of culling events due to death in H cows (20.6% vs. 10.7%), and overall removal risk was higher in H cows than in MH cows when expressed per 100 cow-years at risk. Multinomial regression showed that calving season, parity, and age (modeled within parity) were significant predictors of multiple culling outcomes, whereas inclusion of body weight in sensitivity analyses did not materially alter breed-related effects. Cull price was positively associated with body weight but did not differ between breeds. These results indicate that although H and MH cows achieve comparable cumulative milk production, breed differences are primarily reflected in lactation curve characteristics and culling structure rather than total productivity.