Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T16:54:49.932Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Customized selection indices for dairy bulls in Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

P. J. Bowman ,
P. M. Visscher  and
M. E. Goddard
P. J. Bowman
Affiliation:
Victorian Institute of Animal Science, 475 Mickleham Road, Attwood, Victoria 3049, Australia
P. M. Visscher
Affiliation:
Victorian Institute of Animal Science, 475 Mickleham Road, Attwood, Victoria 3049, Australia
M. E. Goddard
Affiliation:
Victorian Institute of Animal Science, 475 Mickleham Road, Attwood, Victoria 3049, Australia
Get access

Abstract

Customized sire selection indices were developed for Australian dairy bulls in order to promote more objective use of estimated breeding values in commercial breeding programmes. It was assumed that the breeding goal for commercial dairy farmers is the profitability of a bull's progeny. Seven characteristics of the progeny were identified as having a major impact on profitability and were included in the breeding objective: milk, fat and protein yield, survival, body weight, milking speed and temperament. Traits in the selection indices used to predict profit were milk, fat and protein yield, survival, milking speed, temperament, size, overall type and fore teat placement. Size was included because of its correlation with body weight, and overall type and front teat placement because of their correlation with survival. To avoid double counting the benefits of milk production traits, temperament and milking speed, the survival trait in the objective was defined as survival independent of voluntary culling for these traits. Customization of the breeding objective was achieved by adjusting the economic weights for traits in the objective to take account of important characteristics of farmers' herds, the milk payment system under which they operate and make allowance for their own value judgements. An assessment of the impact of customization suggested that, even though there is a wide range in the economic weights that are applicable in different areas of Australia, there would be little loss of efficiency in using a single national index. However, customization is still believed to be desirable given that it is likely that a substantial proportion offarmers will be reluctant to use a national index, especially in those states which have quotas and focus on the liquid milk market. The algorithms described in the paper have been incorporated into a user-friendly microcomputer program called $electabull which is now commercially available to farmers.

Keywords

breeding programmesmilk productionproductive lifeselection indexsire evaluation
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 62 , Issue 3 , June 1996 , pp. 393 - 403
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1996

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

Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme. 1994. The ABV book: Australian breeding values for dairy sires. ADHIS, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Beard, K. T. and Jones, L. P. 1991. Traits affecting survival of cows in Australian dairy herds. Proceedings of the ninth conference of the Australian Association of Animal Breeding and Genetics, pp.425–428.Google Scholar
Bowman, P. J., Visscher, P. M. and Goddard, M. E. 1994. Selectabull: users' guide. Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Dommerholt, J. and Wilmink, J. B. M. 1986. Optimal selection responses under varying milk prices and margins for milk production. Livestock Production Science 14:109–121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibson, J. P., Graham, N. and Burnside, E. B. 1992. Selection indexes for production traits of Canadian dairy sires. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 72:477–491.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hazel, L. N. 1943. The genetic basis for constructing selection indices. Genetics 28:476–490.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, L. P. 1985. Australian breeding values for production characters. Proceedings of the fifth conference of the Australian Association ofAnimal Breeding and Genetics, pp.242–247.Google Scholar
Jones, L. P. and Goddard, M. E. 1990. Five years experience with the animal model for dairy evaluations in Australia. Proceedings of the fourth world congress on genetics applied to livestock production, Edinburgh, vol. 13, pp.382–385.Google Scholar
Leitch, H. W. 1994. Comparison of international selection indices for dairy cattle breeding. Interbull meeting, Ottawa, Canada. Interbull bulletin no. 10.Google Scholar
Madgwick, P., Beard, K. and Goddard, M. 1991. Possibilities for incorporating selection for feed conversion efficiency into the national dairy herd improvement program. Proceedings of the ninth conference of the Australian Association ofAnimal Breeding and Genetics, pp.45–48.Google Scholar
Madgwick, P. A. and Goddard, M. E. 1989. Genetic and phenotypic parameters of longevity in Australian dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science 72:2624–2632.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mallamaci, K. F., Beard, K. T., Goddard, M. E. and Jones, L. P. 1992. What do Australian dairy farmers look for when selecting sires? Proceedings of the tenth conference of the Australian Association of Animal Breeding and Genetics, pp.85–88.Google Scholar
Rozzi, P. 1991. The new quality milk index (ILQ) in Italy. Bianco Nero, supplement 9, pp.14–33.Google Scholar
Visscher, P. M. 1995. Bias in multiple genetic correlation from half-sib designs. Genetics Selection Evolution 27:335–345.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Visscher, P. M., Bowman, P. J. and Goddard, M. E. 1994. Breeding objectives for pasture based dairy production systems. Livestock Production Science 40:123–137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Visscher, P. M. and Goddard, M. E. 1995a. Genetic parameters for milk yield, survival, workability, and type traits for Australian dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science 78:205–220.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Visscher, P. M. and Goddard, M. E. 1995b. Genetic analyses of profit for Australian dairy cattle. Animal Science 61:9–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wickham, B. W. 1979. Genetic parameters and economic values of traits other than production for dairy cattle. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 39:180–193.Google Scholar