Overall, 7.3% of cows lost 0.5 or more BCS points
(139/1,887). No difference existed between cows that
lost 0.5 or more BCS points compared with those that
lost 0.25 BCS points in P/AI at 40 d (27.3 vs. 24.6%,
respectively; P > 0.15) or at 70 d (24.6 vs. 22.3%, respectively;
P > 0.15) after TAI, or in pregnancy loss
between first and second pregnancy examination (7.9
vs. 9.4%, respectively; P > 0.15). Therefore, we combined
these cows into a single group for all subsequent
analyses (i.e., cows that lost BCS between calving and
21 DIM). Overall, the proportion of cows that lost,
maintained, and gained BCS between calving and 21
DIM was 41.8, 35.8, and 22.4, respectively (Table 2).
Production of ECM from calving to 21 DIM did not
differ (P = 0.30) among cows that lost, maintained, or
gained BCS (Tables 2 and 3). Near TAI, production of
ECM was similar among primiparous (P = 0.47) and