Predicting breeding values for herd life of Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle from lifespan and type

1998 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 405-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Brotherstone ◽  
R. F. Veerkamp ◽  
W. G. Hill

AbstractData comprised information on herd life from two different sources: actual lifespan and type data. The optimum way of predicting breeding values (BVs) for herd life from both these sources is a multivariate best linear unbiased predictor (BLUP) analysis of lifespan and the linear type traits most closely related to it. To reduce computing requirements, we suggest a bivariate BLUP analysis, where the direct information is lifespan, measured in lactations and the indirect information is a phenotypic index of type traits weighted by their economic values. Such an index is shown to be almost as efficient as using the individual traits.Genetic correlations between functional lifespan and the linear type traits were estimated, and based on these foot angle (rg = 0·22) udder depth (rg = 0·24) and teat length (rg = -0·44) were chosen to predict herd life. Breeding values for herd life were predicted in a BLUP analysis for around 500 000 heifers. The traits were lifespan and the phenotype index offoot angle, udder depth and teat length. For bulls with a minimum of 10 daughters BVs ranged from -0·9 lactations to +1·0 lactations, indicating a difference of approximately one lactation between the daughters of extreme bulls. For sires with at least 50 daughter records for lifespan, type information contributed little to the accuracy of herd life BVs.

1998 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 569-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Mrode ◽  
G. J. T. Swanson ◽  
M. S. Winters

AbstractSomatic cell count (SCO data collected on individual cows since 1991 were obtained from National Milk Records. Following validation genetic and phenotypic parameters were estimated from the lactation average SCCfor 63 424 Holstein/Friesian (HOD, 7966 Ayrshire (AYR) and 14 509 Jersey (JER) animals. The first three lactations were included in the analyses. The heritabilities (h2) for first lactation log SCC (LSCC) were 0·11 (s.e. 0·01), 0·12 (s.e. 0·02) and 0·09 (s.e. 0·03) for the HOL, JER and AYR breeds respectively. Estimates for herd sire interaction (c2) effects ranged from 0·01 to 0·02. Analysis of the first three lactations with a repeatability model produced similar h2 and c2 estimates. Permanent environment estimates ranged from 0·21 to 0·25. Heritabilities of individual test day LSCC ranged from 0·04 (s.e. 0·02) to 0·10 (s.e. 0·03). Genetic correlations between SCC and milk, fat and protein yield for the HOL breed were 0·06 (s.e. 0·05), 0·14 (s.e. 0·06) and 0·09 (s.e. 0·06) respectively. Genetic evaluations were obtained for 666 595 and 9136 animals for Holsteins and Ayrshires, providing evaluations on 13 525 and 1713 bulls respectively in each breed. The range of LSCC predicted transmitting abilities (PTA) was ±25% although the proportion of bulls with reliability > 0·50 was low at 0·17 and 0-05 for HOL and AYR respectively. The correlations between the LSCC PTAs for HOL bulls with at least 50 daughters and their genetic evaluations for linear type were essentially zero for body and some udder traits. Significant negative correlations were obtained for a number of traits including foot angle (0·14), fore-udder attachment (0·19) and udder depth (0·19) and a positive correlation for teat length (0·15). SCC evaluations will be implemented by the Animal Data Centre. Reliabilities will be lower than production because of the lower h2 for SCC and the lower progeny group size since only 0·80 of recorded cows have SCC records.


1994 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Brotherstone

AbstractFirst lactation production and linear type records of 72 559Holstein-Friesian cows, calving from 1982 to 1989, were analysed by multivariate restricted maximum likelihood, using a sire model. The data comprised offspring of 1066 randomly used sires, and 91 proven i.e. widely used bulls. All phenotypic correlations between the type traits and the yield traits were small, but moderate genetic correlations were obtained between milk, fat and protein yield and angularity (~—0·43) and between the yield traits and udder depth (~0·44), indicating that higher yielding heifers are more angular and have deeper udders. The heritabilities of the type traits were in line with previous analyses, but those for milk, fat and protein yield were rather high at 0·47, 0·52 and 0·45 respectively


2021 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasan Ismael ◽  
Dobrila Janković ◽  
Dragan Stanojević ◽  
Vladan Bogdanović ◽  
Snežana Trivunović ◽  
...  

2011 ◽  
Vol 56 (No. 5) ◽  
pp. 205-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Ptak ◽  
W. Jagusiak ◽  
A. Żarnecki ◽  
A. Otwinowska-Mindur

The objective of this study was to estimate heritabilities and genetic correlations of lactational and daily somatic cell scores with descriptive and linear type traits in Polish Holstein-Friesian cows. Data were: test-day somatic cell scores and conformation evaluations of 24 599 primiparous cows, daughters of 802 sires. Cows calved from 2006 to 2007. The lactational somatic cell score was calculated as the average of four test-day somatic cell scores at least. The daily somatic cell score was the test-day somatic cell score closest to the date of type evaluation. A multi-trait animal model was used to estimate genetic parameters. (Co)variance components were estimated by a Bayesian algorithm via Gibbs sampling. The heritability of lactational somatic cell score was 0.20 and it was much higher than that of daily somatic cell score (0.13). Heritabilities of type traits were high to moderate for height at rump (0.46), size (0.39), overall conformation score (0.30), two linear rump traits (0.28–0.29) and three linear teat traits (0.26–0.29). The genetic correlation between lactational and daily somatic cell scores was 0.84. In many cases, daily somatic cell score showed higher genetic correlations with type traits than lactational somatic cell score. Descriptive udder and feet and legs scores were genetically correlated negatively with both lactational (–0.22 and –0.20) and daily somatic cell scores (–0.28 and –0.33). Somatic cell traits were genetically correlated positively with rump angle (0.21 and 0.19) and negatively with fore udder height (–0.26 and –0.29), udder depth (–0.23 and –0.17) and central ligament (–0.14 and –0.16). Due to higher heritability, direct selection for lower lactational somatic cell score would be more effective than selection for lower daily somatic cell score. The magnitude of obtained heritabilities and the favourable genetic correlations indicate that the selection utilizing some type traits could improve the resistance to mastitis.


1991 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Brotherstone ◽  
W. G. Hill

AbstractThe relation between survival to complete lactations 2, 3 and 4 and both linear type and production traits of pedigree Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle in the United Kingdom was analysed. There were records on 23 071 pedigree animals which were themselves type classified as heifers. The linear and quadratic phenotypic regressions of survival on most type traits were significant, even with yield fitted as a covariate. Phenotypic regressions of survival on milk, fat and protein yield were significantly positive, but that on protein content significantly negative. Phenotypic correlations with survival were under 0·1 for the linear traits, 0·16 for a subjective total type score, and 0·14 for milk yield. Genetic correlations between survival and type traits, estimated by multivariate restricted maximum likelihood, were as high as 0·4 for several traits of the udder and teats and for total score, and higher than for milk yield or composition. Regressions of survival on estimated sire transmitting abilities gave rather lower estimates of genetic correlations, except for total score. The results indicate that in these pedigree and classifying herds the total score is a culling criterion in its own right.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 407-416
Author(s):  
Radica Djedovic ◽  
Vladan Bogdanovic ◽  
Dragan Stanojevic ◽  
Hasan Ismael ◽  
Dobrila Jankovic ◽  
...  

Data set including 10860 primiparous Holstein-Friesian breed cows first calved in the period from 2011 to 2015, was used in determining phenotypic variability and correlation between the traits of milk yield and linearly estimated traits of udder and angularity. The average values obtained for type traits (angularity, fore udder attachment, front teats placement, teats length, udder depth and rear udder height) were 6.47; 5.74; 4.96; 5.20; 5.99 and 6.25, respectively. The values obtained for phenotypic correlations between linear type traits and traits of milk yield ranged from -0.042 (udder depth and milk yield) to 0.335 (fore udder attachment and protein yield). Positive phenotypic correlation (0.293) was recorded also between fore udder attachment and milk yield which is deemed the most important trait of milk yield while the lowest correlation between milk yields was determined in relation to udder depth (-0.033). The results obtained indicate a possibility of applying direct and indirect multiple traits selection which should be conducted within a national progeny-testing programme on Holstein-Friesian bulls by using the method of selection indexes.


2009 ◽  
Vol 54 (No. 9) ◽  
pp. 385-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Zavadilová ◽  
E. Němcová ◽  
M. Štípková ◽  
J. Bouška

The relationships between conformation and longevity traits were analysed in 58 493 Czech Fleckvieh cows first calved from 1994 to 2003. All cows were scored for conformation during the first lactation. Genetic correlations between longevity and conformation traits were estimated by bivariate runs using the VCE 4.0 program for variance component estimation. The values of heritability for conformation traits were in the range from 0.06 to 0.63 and for longevity traits from 0.04 to 0.05. Low or intermediate genetic relationships between recorded linear traits and longevity trait were found. The correlations were lower for functional longevity. Body measurements showed negative genetic correlations with real as well as functional longevity (–0.12 to –0.29). The dairy character negatively correlated with longevity traits (–0.18 to –0.26). The muscularity and udder showed a zero correlation with functional longevity, while the feet and legs were not correlated with real longevity. The highest positive genetic correlations between real longevity and objectively scored linear type traits were found for hock (0.24), rear udder attachment (0.28), fore udder length (0.16) and central ligament (0.11). On the contrary, the correlation between the udder depth and the milk-corrected longevity was positive (0.28) and higher than in the case of real longevity.


2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 ◽  
pp. 53-53
Author(s):  
E. Wall ◽  
I. M. S. White ◽  
M. P. Coffey ◽  
S. Brotherstone

Cattle breeders, farmers and vets believe that the decline in fertility seen in recent years can be partially attributed to changes in rump angle with selection being for more angular cows. This suggests that animals with pin bones that sit above the hip bones (high rump angle) will have poorer fertility. Few studies have shown a significant relationship between fertility and rump traits. This study investigates the popular belief that high rump angle equates to poor fertility by examining the genetic and phenotypic correlation between rump angle and fertility traits. The relationship between rump angle and fertility was also examined to see if there was an intermediate optimum or threshold of rump angle for good/bad fertility. The correlation of other type traits (udder and composite traits) with fertility was also examined to see if they had potential to add information to the estimation of fertility breeding values.


2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 ◽  
pp. 141-141
Author(s):  
M. R. Sanjabi ◽  
M. G. Govindaiah ◽  
M. M. Moeini

Correlation among type traits and with milk production has been investigated by Brotherstone (1994) and Misztal et al (1992). One of the primary reasons for collecting and utilizing information on type traits is to aid breeders in selecting profitable functional cows for high production and suitable herd life. The objectives of this study were to estimate phenotypic and genetic correlations among milk production and with udder traits.


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