Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T03:20:21.241Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Genetic parameters for a simple predictor of the lifespan of Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle and its relationship to production

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

S. Brotherstone ,
R. F. Veerkamp  and
W. G. Hill
S. Brotherstone
Affiliation:
Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, University of Edinburgh, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JT
R. F. Veerkamp
Affiliation:
Genetics and Behavioural Sciences, Scottish Agricultural College, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
W. G. Hill
Affiliation:
Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, University of Edinburgh, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JT
Get access

Abstract

The herd life of dairy cows was approximated by a single lifespan value based on the geometric distribution and accounting for the number of lactations each cow had completed or, if still in the herd, was expected to complete. For cows which had completed lactation n, but had not had time to complete lactation n + 1, the probability of survival from lactation n to complete lactation n + 1, from n + 1 to n + 2 etc. was incorporated, utilizing average population survival probabilities.

Formulae for the genetic variance in lifespan, its heritability and the genetic regression of breeding value on phenotype, the latter found to be independent of the amount of information included in the phenotype, are derived and checked by simulation.

From an analysis of 25227 dairy cows, each with the opportunity to complete five lactations, the heritability of lifespan was 0·06 and its genetic correlation with survival to complete three, four and five lactations ranged from 0·90 to 0·96, for both complete and incomplete survival information, showing that the lifespan trait appears to account adequately for missing observations. Genetic correlations between lifespan and first lactation yield traits were around 0·50, whilst the corresponding phenotypic correlations were approximately 0·13.

Keywords

dairy cattlegenetic correlationheritabilitysurvival
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 65 , Issue 1 , August 1997 , pp. 31 - 37
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1997

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Beard, K. 1993. Genetic evaluation for milking speed, temperament, likability and survival in Australia. Proceedings of the Interbull annual meeting, Aarhus, Denmark.Google Scholar
Beaudeau, F., Ducrocq, V., Fourichon, C. and Seegers, H. 1995. Effect of disease on length of productive life of French Holstein dairy cows assessed by survival analysis. Journal of Dairy Science 78:103–117.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brotherstone, S. and Hill, W. G. 1991. Dairy herd life in relation to linear type traits and production: 2. Genetic analyses for pedigree and non-pedigree cows. Animal Production 53: 289–297.Google Scholar
Brotherstone, S. and Hill, W. G. 1994. Estimation of non-additive genetic parameters for lactations 1 to 5 and for survival in Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle. Livestock Production Science 40:115–122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dekkers, J. C. M. and Jairath, L. K. 1994. Requirements and uses of genetic evaluations for conformation and herd life. Proceedings of the fifth world congress on genetics applied to livestock production, Guelph, vol. 17, pp. 61–68.Google Scholar
Ducrocq, V. 1994. Statistical analysis of length of productive life for dairy cows of the Normande breed. Journal of Dairy Science 77: 855–866.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ducrocq, V., Quaas, R. L., Pollak, E. J. and Casella, G. 1988. Length of productive life of dairy cows. 1. Justification of a Weibull model. Journal of Dairy Science 71: 3061–3070.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farin, P. W., Slenning, B. D., Correa, M. T. and Britt, J. H. 1994. Effects of calving season and milk yield on pregnancy risk and income in North Carolina Holstein cows. Journal of Dairy Science 77:1848–1855.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Groeneveld, E. 1993. REML VCE — a multivariate multimodel restricted maximum likelihood (co)variance component estimation package. Proceedings of the symposium on application of mixed linear models in the prediction of genetic merit in pigs. European Community, May 27, Germany.Google Scholar
Harris, B. L., Freeman, A. E. and Metzger, E. 1992. Analysis of herd life in Guernsey dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science 75:2008–2016.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harvey, W. R. 1977. User's guide for LSML76 mixed model least-squares and maximum likelihood computer program. Ohio State University, Columbus (mimeograph).Google Scholar
Hoeschele, I., Gianola, D. and Foulley, J.-L. 1987. Estimation of variance components with quasi-continuous data using Bayesian methods. Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics 104: 334–349.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meyer, K. 1985. Maximum likelihood estimation of variance components for a multivariate mixed model with equal design matrices. Biometrics 41:153–165.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reinhardt, F. and Pasman, E. 1996. Genetic evaluation for length of productive life in dairy cattle using survival analysis. Proceedings of the Interbull annual meeting, Veldhoven, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Rendel, J. M. and Robertson, A. 1950. Some aspects of longevity in dairy cattle. Empire Journal of Experimental Agriculture 18: 49–56.Google Scholar
Short, T. H. and Lawlor, T. J. 1992. Genetic parameters of conformation traits, milk yield and herd life in Holsteins. Journal of Dairy Science 75:1987–1998.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Strandberg, E. and Sölkner, J. 1996. Breeding for longevity and survival in dairy cattle. Proceedings of an international workshop on genetic improvement of functional traits in cattle, Gembloux, Belgium.Google Scholar
VanRaden, P. M. and Klaaskate, E. J. H. 1993. Genetic evaluation of length of productive life that includes projected longevities of cows still alive. Journal of Dairy Science 76: 2758–2764.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Veerkamp, R. F., Hill, W. G., Stott, A. W., Brotherstone, S. and Simm, G. 1995. Selection for longevity and yield in dairy cows using transmitting abilities for type and yield. Animal Science 61:189–197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Visscher, P. M., Bowman, P. J. and Goddard, M. E. 1994. Breeding objectives for pasture based dairy production systems. Livestock Production Science 40:123–127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Visscher, P. M. and Goddard, M. E. 1995. Genetic parameters for milk yield, survival, workability and type traits for Australian dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science 78: 205–220.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weigel, D. J., Cassell, B. G., Hoeschele, I. and Pearson, R. E. 1995. Multiple trait prediction of transmitting abilities for herd life and estimation of economic weights using relative net income adjusted for opportunity cost. Journal of Dairy Science 78: 639–647.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed