Relationship Between Follicular Cysts and Milk Production in Dairy Cattle

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Abstract
Study of the 90-and 305:day 2 ×, mature equivalent, days open adjusted, milk production records of 74 animals with follicular cysts during their cystic lactation showed that they produced significantly more milk than their herd-mates (p (.001 and p .01 for 90 and 305 days, respectively). No significant difference in production was noted when cystic animals were compared with their identical herd-mates during their precystic lactation. This indicated that the cystic cows were not higher producers before they become cystic, but that circumstances associated with the cystic condition appear to be responsible for increased production. It was found that the longer animals were cystic, the higher was their production and that the anestrous cystic animals had higher milk production than those with nymphomaniac tendencies. Follicular cysts in dairy cattle have long been considered to be a condition most prevalent in high-producing cows (18). Nevertheless, studies of the first lactation production of aninmls which later became cystic and of those which did not become cystic do not agree as to the superiority of the production of the cystic animals (2, 3). Casida and Chapman (2) found no difference by this method, whereas Clapp (3) and Henricson (7) found the cystic animals to be higher producers during their cystic lactation. This study was undertaken to determine further the possible relationship between follicular cysts and milk production. Materials and Methods Seventy-four Holstein cows from four herds of the North Carolina Institutional Breeding

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