The objectives of this study were to determine the
effects of parity on milk production, body condition
change, periparturient health, and culling in Korean
dairy herds. The data utilized included; milk yield, body
condition score, cow parity, calving condition, periparturient
disorders, culling, and reproductive status, which were
recorded from 1290 calvings in eight dairy herds. The
mean milk yield in cows over 305 days increased with
increasing parity (p < 0.01). Cows with parities of 3, 4, and
5 or higher lost more body condition than those with a
parity of 1 during month 1 of lactation (p < 0.01), and
body condition recovery by cows with parities of 4 and 5
or higher was slower (p < 0.01) than recovery by cows
with parities of 1, 2, or 3 until month 3 of lactation. The
risk of retained placenta, metabolic disorder, and
endometritis also increased with advancing parity (p <
0.05). Moreover, the incidence of ovarian cysts was lower
in cows with a parity of one than in cows with greater
parities (p < 0.01). Culling rate due to reproductive failure
also increased with advancing parity (p < 0.01). These
results suggest that parity increases milk yield, body
condition loss during early lactation, the risk of
periparturient disorders, and culling due to reproductive
failure in dairy herds.