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Genetic Interrelationships of Parturition Problems and Production

Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis 95616

ABSTRACT

Data were 5091 calvings from 3904 cows for milk fever, retained placenta, mastitis within 48-h postpartum, calving difficulty, and 48-h calf livability collected from 27 large California dairies analyzed for genetic interrelationships among parturition problems. Heritability of each trait was small; however, retained placenta had large positive genetic correlations with milk fever (.34) and mastitis (.33). Adding difficulty-mortality classes to models to study genetic relationships of parturition problems had little effect on estimates but did influence incidence of parturition problems.

With calving difficulty, incidence of milk fever increased by 4.9% and retained placenta by 5.3%. With calf mortality, milk fever increased by 4.4% and retained placenta by 13%. A combination of difficulty and mortality was related to a 9.6% increase of milk fever and a 20.2% increase of retained placenta.

Genetic correlations of all problems with mature equivalent milk indicated that selection for increased production would be accompanied by lower incidence of retained placenta, 48-h mastitis, and milk fever. Genetic correlations of retained placenta with milk fever and 48-h mastitis were positive. Selection for increased milk yield should not increase incidence of parturition problems, and prescreening of bulls on parturition performance of daughters would be feasible.