Genetic variation in disease traits and their relationships with survival in Danish dairy cattle
Year: 1999
Type: article
Abstract: Data from the Danish health recording system on clinical mastitis, feet and leg diseases, metabolic diseases, reproductive dieseases and stayability has been analysed for Danish Holsteins, Red Danish and Danish Jerseys.Traits analysed were the incidence of the four diseases in the period ¸10 to 100 days from calving in 1st lactation.Records on 128,842 Danish Holstein cows initiating a 1st lactation in the period 1990-1995 were included in the analysis.The diseases were analysed as separate traits in multivariate analysis.The incidence in the period ¸10 to 100 days from calving in 1st lactation for clinical mastitis, feet and leg, metabolic and reproductive diseases were 26.3%, 6.2%, 6.2% and 11.1%, respectively.Stayability was defined as the incidence of cows that completed a 305-day record in 2nd lactation.(Co)variance components were estimated using a bivariate REML method with a linear sire model even though all traits analysed were observed on a binary scale.Estimates for heritabilities on the observed scale for clinical mastitis, feet and leg, metabolic and reproduction diseases were 0.05, 0.01, 0.01 and 0.02, respectively.The genetic correlations between disease and survival through 2nd lactation were 0.52, 0.43, 0.17 and 0.18 for clinical mastitis, feet and leg, metabolic and reproduction diseases.Further analyses will be carried out to develop an index for other diseases than Clinical mastitis based on health recordings in the first 3 lactations.
Authors: U. Nielsen, G A Pedersen, J. Pedersen, Just Jensen
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W1497734136