Effects of Inbreeding on Size and Type in Holstein-friesian Cattle

After 25 yr of mild inbreeding in the Kolstein-Friesian herd of Iowa State University, the average coefficient of inbreeding of the milking cows had risen to about 12%. The effects of this inbreeding on measurements of weight, wither height, chest depth, body length, chest girth, paunch girth, and type were studied. The volume of data for the females ranged from 554 daughter-dam pairs at six months of age to 52 pairs at age 7 yr. Records on 244 males at six months and 78 at 1 yr were used also. All of the analyses were on an intrasire basis.