Herd Structure, Performance Traits, Pattern of Calving and Culling in an Organized Large Herd of Gir Cattle

Author(s):  
M. R. Gadariya ◽  
P. H. Vataliya ◽  
K. S. Murthy ◽  
H. H. Savsani ◽  
P. U. Gajbhiye

Herd structure and herd performance traits of Gir herd of Cattle Breeding Farm, JAU, Junagadh, Gujarat was studied utilizing monthly data over a period of 10 years (2001-2010). A herd with an average of 110 Gir cows had average total strength of 388.38±3.09 and total adult units (AUs) of 259.27 ±13.42. The total females present in the herd were 71.82%. The Gir herd consisted of 28.98 % cows, 22.02 % breedable heifers, 22.34 % calves (female + male) and 12.33 % males above 1 year. Wet average and herd average were 6.77±0.10 and 3.84±0.06 lit/d/cow, and % milch cows and number of milch cows were 57.03±0.85 and 63.12±1.42, respectively. Effect of month was significant on the herd average only. All herd performance traits were significantly influenced by year. Return over feed cost (ROFC) at variable feed cost was estimated to be 116.36±4.24 % at market rate of milk. Calving incidence was significantly (P less than 0.05) influenced by month. Majority (42.08 %) of calving occurred during September to December. Of 562 animals disposed of, the maximum proportion (33.96 %) was cows principally due to old age (>6 lactation) and low yield. Maximum cows, 26.21% were disposed of in their 3rd lactation. Growing/breeding males were sold @ 28.57% and castrated males to the tune of 22.32 %. The correlations among the herd structure and performance traits of the herd were negative, medium in magnitude and significant, - 0.21 to - 0.29 with wet average, -0.16 to -0.21 with herd average and -0.25 to -0.73 (P less than 0.05) with % ROFC. For the Gir herd under the study, herd structure of 30-33% cows, 18-21% breedable heifers and 72-75% total female proportion resulted in optimum wet average (>7.32 lit/d/milch cow) and herd average (> 4.17 lit/d/cow) and also higher ROFC >139.6 %.

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (No. 6) ◽  
pp. 230-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.O. Rosa ◽  
G.C. Venturini ◽  
T.C.S. Chud ◽  
B.C. Pires ◽  
M.E. Buzanskas ◽  
...  

This study estimated the genetic parameters for reproductive and performance traits and determined which ones can be used as selection criteria for egg production in laying hens using the Bayesian inference. The data of 1894 animals from three generations of White Leghorn laying hens were analyzed for fertility (FERT), hatchability (HATC), and birth rate measurements at 60 weeks of age (BIRTH), body weight at 16 and 60 weeks of age (BW16 and BW60), age at sexual maturity (ASM), egg height/width ratio, weight, and density at 28, 36, and 40 weeks of age (RHW28, RHW36, RHW40, WEGG28, WEGG36, WEGG40, DENS28, DENS36, and DENS40, respectively) traits. The genetic parameters were estimated by the Bayesian inference method of multi-trait animal model. The model included the additive and residual genetic random effects and the fixed effects of generation. The a posteriori mean distributions of the heritability estimates for reproductive traits ranged from 0.14 ± 0.003 (HATC) to 0.22 ± 0.005 (FERT) and performance from 0.07 ± 0.001 (RHW28) to 0.42 ± 0.001 (WEGG40). The a posteriori mean distributions of the genetic correlation between reproductive traits ranged from 0.18 ± 0.026 (FERT and HACT) to 0.79 ± 0.007 (FERT and BIRTH) and those related to performance ranged from –0.49 ± 0.001 (WEGG36 and DENS36) to 0.75 ± 0.003 (DENS28 and DENS36). Reproductive and performance traits showed enough additive genetic variability to respond to selection, except for RHW28. This trait alone would have little impact on the genetic gain because environmental factors would have a higher impact compared to those from the additive genetic factors. Based on the results of this study, the selection applied on the BIRTH trait can be indicated to improve FERT and HATC of eggs. Furthermore, the use of the WEGG40 could improve egg quality in this population.


Author(s):  
R. I. Sheiko ◽  
I. N. Kazarovets

Global experience related to increased pork production shows that breeding work has become an integral part of the technology, since it is impossible to further improve breeding and performance traits of animals without it and therefore the greater production of better quality pork. The paper presents the results of the breeding process arrangement for creation of F1 parental pig. Substantiation of breeding techniques when creating the final parental groups of sows (F1) with a high adaptive ability was based on complex methods to evaluate breeding animals, including traditional methods of domestic breeding and breeding indices. Evaluation of combination compatibility of breed-linear hybrids with the use of breeding indices during mating of parent initial forms allows to determine efficiency of using Yorkshire sows with Landrace boars, and Landrace sows with Yorkshire boars (final parental sows (F1)), which had significantly better reproductive indicators in comparison with BLW х BM genotype sows. Particularly efficient compatibility was recorded when selecting Yorkshire sows and Landrace boars. It was determined that in modern conditions an increase in the efficiency of breeding and pedigree work in pig breeding was based on the use of genetic methods, including: individual assessment of pedigree species according to the main breeding traits, evaluation of genome of each breeding animal, and use of breeding indices allowing to identify the true genetic potential of animals and predict performance traits of their offspring. The research relevance lies in using the innovative methodology for comprehensive assessment of combination compatibility of parental pairs, unified for pig husbandries and pig farms, which will make it possible to 10% accelerate the breeding process of forming the final parental forms of sows, ensure obtaining offspring with predictable reproductive, fattening and meat traits, and good adaptive ability.


Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1153
Author(s):  
Lisa Büttgen ◽  
Johannes Geibel ◽  
Henner Simianer ◽  
Torsten Pook

Osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) is a degenerative disease of the cartilage leading to osseous fragments in the joints. It is important in horse breeding both from an animal welfare and an economic perspective. To study adequate breeding strategies to reduce OCD prevalence, a lifelike simulation of the breeding program of German Warmblood horses was performed with the R package MoBPS. We simulated complex breeding schemes of riding horses with different selection steps and realistic age structure, mimicking the German situation. As an example, osseous fragments in fetlock and hock joints were considered. Different scenarios, either using threshold selection, index selection or genomic index selection, respectively, were compared regarding their impact on health and performance traits. A rigorous threshold selection as well as the integration of OCD in a selection index at the stage of stallion licensing and chosen frequency of use in breeding cases on a selection index that includes breeding values for OCD traits performed best on a comparable level. Simply integrating OCD in this breeding value was less effective in terms of OCD reduction. Scenarios with a higher reduction of OCD also showed a slightly reduced improvement in the riding horse performance traits.


2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Withers ◽  
Graham Thompson

AbstractFor 41 species of Western Australian agamid lizards, we found that most appendage lengths vary isometrically, so shape is largely independent of size. Of the three methods we used to quantitatively remove the effects of size on shape, the two that use principal component analysis (PCA; Jolicoeur, 1963; Somers, 1986; 1989) provided similar results, whereas regression residuals (against body length) provided a different interpretation. Somers' size-free PCA approach to remove the size-effects was the most useful because it provided 'size-free' scores for each species that were further analysed using other techniques, and its results seemed more biologically meaningful. Some, but not all, of the variation in size-free shape for these lizards could be related to phylogeny, retreat choice and performance traits.


2018 ◽  
Vol 91 (5) ◽  
pp. 1013-1025 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher D. Robinson ◽  
Matthew E. Gifford

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