Synapse
⌘+K
Synapse
PulseExploreClubsResearchersJournals
Instagram
HomeClubsExplore
December 1, 1984Journal of Dairy ScienceOpen Access

Relationship Between External Body Measurements and Calving Difficulties in Canadian Holstein-Friesian Cattle

View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share

Authors

TAT. AliEBE.B. BurnsideLSL.R. Schaeffer

Discussion

Loading...

Member takes

Overview

Observational study reveals skeletal dimensions linked to calving ease in Holstein cows, suggesting breeding for wide pins and sloping rumps improves birthing outcomes.

Key Points

  • To evaluate the relationship between external body measurements and calving difficulty in Canadian Holstein-Friesian cattle, while estimating heritabilities and genetic correlations across physical traits.
  • Analyzed 13 body measurements per cow collected from 1980 to 1981 on 3,193 Canadian Holstein-Friesian cows by 576 sires across 100 herds.
  • Evaluated fixed and environmental effects including herd, cow age, stage of lactation, and generation group.
  • Estimated heritabilities, phenotypic and genetic correlations, and predicted sire proofs for body measurements and maternal grandsire proofs for calving ease.
  • Heritabilities for external body measurements were moderate to high, ranging from .21 to .45, with genetic correlations among height traits being strongly positive (.68 to .99).
  • Herd and cow age accounted for significant variation across all body measures, whereas stage of lactation influenced heart girth and pelvic slopes, and generation group had no significant effect.
  • Sire proofs indicated that larger cows characterized by wide pin bones, long sloping rumps, and minimal slope from thurl to pin bone experienced reduced calving difficulty.

Cite This Study

Ali et al. (1984) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6aa859d2ebec0848581e96e6https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.s0022-0302(84)81669-0
View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share

Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 4 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Recovery of inter-block information when block sizes are unequal1971 · 3,835 citations
  2. 2Precalving Body Size and Pelvic Area Relationships in Hereford Heifers1971 · 56 citations
  3. 3Estimates of Genetic and Phenotypic Parameters Associated with Pelvic Area in Simmental Cattle1982 · 35 citations
  4. 4Genetic Relations between Body Measurements at Three Ages in Holsteins1958 · 39 citations