Milk urea nitrogen concentration: heritability and genetic correlations with reproductive performance and disease.

The objectives of this study were to estimate the heritability of milk urea nitrogen (MUN) concentration and describe the genetic relationship between MUN and reproductive performance and between MUN and diseases in Holsteins. Dairy Records Management Systems (Raleigh, NC) provided lactation data. The Danish Agricultural Advisory Center provided breeding value estimates for diseases. Infrared (IR) and wet chemistry (WC) data were analyzed separately. Heritabilities and genetic correlations for 2 different measures of MUN and reproductive performance were estimated with an animal model using ASREML. Heritabilities for MUN were estimated using all lactations combined (lactations 1 through 5) and separately for first lactation and second lactation. Genetic correlations with reproduction and health were estimated separately for parities 1 and 2. Herd-test-day or herd-year-season along with age at calving and days in milk were included as fixed effects in all models. Heritability estimates for all lactations combined were 0.15 for WC MUN and 0.22 for IR MUN. Genetic correlations between WC MUN and 2 measures of reproductive performance, days to first service, and first service conception were not different from zero. In contrast, the genetic correlation between WC MUN and days open of 0.21 in first lactation and 0.41 in second lactation indicated that higher WC MUN values were associated with increased days open. Correlations among estimated breeding values for MUN and estimated breeding values for Danish diseases identified no significant relationships. Although the results of this study indicate that heritable variation for MUN exists, the inability to identify significant genetic relationships with several measures of disease or reproductive performance appears to limit the value of MUN in selection for disease resistance and improved reproduction.

Correlations among body condition scores from various sources, dairy form, and cow health from the United States and Denmark.

The objectives of this study were to estimate genetic correlations among body condition scores (BCS) from various sources, dairy form, and measures of cow health. Body condition score and dairy form evaluated during routine type appraisal was obtained from the Holstein Association USA, Inc. A second set of BCS was obtained from Dairy Records Managements Systems (DRMS) and was recorded by producers that use PCDART dairy management software. Disease observations were obtained from recorded veterinarian treatments in several dairy herds in the United States. Estimated breeding values for diseases in Denmark were also obtained. Genetic correlations among BCS, dairy form, and cow health traits in the United States were generated with sire models. Models included fixed effects for age, DIM, and contemporary group. Random effects included sire, permanent environment, herd-year season for health traits, and error. Predicted transmitting abilities (PTA) for BCS and dairy form were correlated with estimated breeding values for disease in Denmark. The genetic correlation estimate between BCS from DRMS and BCS from the Holstein Association USA, Inc., was 0.85. The genetic correlation estimate between BCS and a composite of all diseases in the United States was -0.79, and PTA for BCS was favorably correlated with an index of resistance to disease other than mastitis in Denmark (0.27). Dairy form was positively correlated with a composite of all diseases in the United States (0.85) and was unfavorably correlated with an index for resistance to disease other than mastitis in Denmark (-0.29). Adjustment for protein yield PTA had a minimal affect on correlations between PTA for BCS or dairy form and disease in Denmark. Selection for higher body condition or lower dairy form with continued selection for yield may slow deterioration in cow health as a correlated response to selection for increased yield.

Genetic correlations among protein yield, productive life, and type traits from the United States and diseases other than mastitis from Denmark and Sweden.

Sire genetic evaluations for protein yield, productive life, and selected type traits from the US were correlated with sire evaluations for disease from Denmark and Sweden and were then adjusted to approximate genetic correlations. Disease categories from Denmark included reproductive diseases, foot and leg diseases, metabolic and digestive diseases, and all diseases other than mastitis. Genetic evaluations for Denmark were from separate analyses for each disease category using a multiple-trait sire model with first, second, and third lactations handled as multiple traits. Evaluations from Sweden for all diseases other than mastitis were from a single-trait sire model using only first lactations. In addition, Danish and Swedish genetic evaluations were regressed on US type evaluations to test for quadratic relationships. Relationships were based on 104 bulls with US and Danish evaluations (88 with US type) and 84 bulls with US and Swedish evaluations (83 with US type). Genetic correlations between US protein yield and diseases were unfavorable, but correlations were favorable between productive life and disease. Genetic correlations among US type and diseases were around zero, except for correlations with US dairy form (range -0.34 to -0.73). Genetic correlations calculated from residual correlations (adjusted for predicted transmitting abilities for milk) between productive life and diseases were favorable (range 0.29 to 0.51). Genetic correlations calculated from residual correlations (adjusted for predicted transmitting abilities for milk) between dairy form and diseases ranged from -0.10 to -0.53. Selection for increased productive life may reduce disease occurrences, but selection for higher dairy form scores will increase disease occurrences.