Genetic Evaluation of Milk Production Traits in the Serbian Saanen Goat Population

Within the framework of this study, a genetic evaluation of milk traits was conducted in the Saanen goat breed. The focus of the research was placed on the application of more advanced models for estimating heritability and breeding values of economically important milk traits. The study included 670 Saanen goats and a total of 2155 lactations between 2010 and 2021 on a single farm located in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. The milk production traits included total milk yield per lactation (TMY), milk fat yield (FY), protein yield (PY), and the content of milk fat (MF) and protein (PC). The fixed effects included in the Sire and Animal models were as follows: kidding season, type of kidding, year of kidding, and lactation number. The permanent environmental effect of the doe and the animal’s additive genetic effect were considered as random effects. In the Animal model, the estimated heritability values for the traits were: 0.2216 (TMY), 0.2564 (FY), 0.2556 (PY), 0.3977 (MF), 0.2864 (PC). The heritability estimates obtained using the sire model were slightly higher: 0.2742 for TMY, 0.3256 for FY, 0.3855 for PY, 0.3925 for MF, and 0.3502 for PC. The estimation of breeding values for bucks was performed using both the Sire model and the Animal model. Breeding values for the bucks derived from the two models showed a close relationship, with correlations ranging from 0.85 for TMY to 0.90 for PC. The results of this study confirm that the application of the BLUP-Animal model provides a more accurate estimation of breeding values and represents a reliable basis for the selection of the Saanen goat breed. The findings from this study provide a practical basis for enhancing breeding programs and developing an effective strategy for genetic improvement of milk production in the population.