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Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 48 No. 7 957-961
© 1965 by American Dairy Science Association ®
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Maternal Ability and Genetic Ability of Birth Weight and Gestation Length1

R. W. Everett and W. T. Magee2

Department of Dairy, Michigan State University, East Lansing

ABSTRACT

Birth weights and available gestation lengths of 1,064 Holstein calves at the Southern Michigan Prison, Jackson, Michigan, were analyzed to determine the effect of differences in maternal ability and genetic ability. The average birth weight and gestation length was 97.4 ± .30 lb and 278.9 ± .35 days, respectively. The birth weight of males was 1.6 ± .59 lb more than females and they were gestated 0.9 ± .70 days longer. Mature cows had calves which averaged 4.7 lb heavier than calves of 2-yr-old cows. Calves born from September to March were 1.6 ± .59 lb heavier than calves born from April through August.

Heritability of birth weight was 0.22 and of gestation length was 0.10. The genetic correlation between birth weight and gestation length was 0.57. The correlations between the genie ability for either birth weight or gestation length and the genie maternal ability for the same trait was –.93 for both traits. The heritability for maternal ability of gestation length was 0.05, whereas the heritability for maternal ability of birth weight was 0.04.

The heritability of birth weight and gestation length may be smaller than the calculated heritability for each trait, due to negative genetic correlation with maternal ability.

FOOTNOTES

1 Journal Article No. 3564, Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.

2 Department of Animal Husbandry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.






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Copyright © 1965 by the American Dairy Science Association ®.