BREEDING BASICS BETTER COWS BETTER LIFE CRV4ALL.CO.NZ

Transcription

1 BREEDING BASICS BETTER COWS BETTER LIFE CRV4ALL.CO.NZ

2 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION TO BREEDING BASICS 3 Making this work for you developing a breeding plan 4 My breeding plan 6 Heritability and repeatability 8 Understanding New Zealand Graphs 9 Breed Averages 10 Better Life Health 10 Better Life Efficiency 10 INTERPRETING AE & INDEXES 11 Breeding Indicators 11 NZMI 11 BW 11 Total Longevity 11 Liveweight 11 % Health 11 % Efficiency 11 Production Traits 12 Milk Volume 12 Milk Fat 12 Protein 12 Milk Fat & Protein Percentage 12 Management & Health Traits 13 Fertility 13 Body Condition Score 13 Somatic Cells Score 13 Calving Difficulty 13 Gestation Length 13 Residual Survival 13 Shed Traits 14 Adaptability To Milking 14 Shed Temperament 14 Milking Speed 14 Overall Opinion 14 Individual Cow Assessment 15 Top Assessment 15 Conformation Traits 16 Stature 16 Capacity 17 Rump Angle 18 Rump Width 19 Legs 20 Udder Support 21 Front Udder 22 Rear Udder 23 Front Teat 24 Rear Teat 25 Udder Overall 26 Dairy Conformation 27 GENETIC DEFECTS 28 CVM/BLAD/CIT/SCS 28 Inbreeding 28 PEDIGREE STATUS EXPLANATION 29 Holstein-Friesians 29 Jerseys 29 NOTES 31 2

3 INTRODUCTION TO BREEDING BASICS DECIDING ON YOUR BREEDING DIRECTION Breeding is a highly valuable long term activity, offering the potential for cumulative and consistent gain, and improvements in areas that will surprise you. Breeding is something that people who get involved become very passionate about. We think that comes from the sense of achievement in producing quality cows and in understanding the critical role they play in your farm business. CRV Ambreed believes the cow needed in the future should be efficient and healthy. No two farms are the same, and no two farmers run their farms in the same way, so it makes sense that each farmer targets the type of cow they want. Needs differ depending on climate, finances, environmental impact, and of course farm systems. CRV Ambreed s field consultants and genetics team work with each farmer and create the desired genetic solution for their herd. Eczema tolerant bulls are an example of a genetic solution for a health issue. Once a day index is an example of a genetic solution for farm system need. Polled sires are an example of an animal welfare solution. LowN Sires are an example of an environmental solution. 3

4 MAKING THIS WORK FOR YOU DEVELOPING A BREEDING PLAN The scale and type of dairy operations in NZ have changed significantly over time from the simple allgrass systems of yesteryear. While optimal utilisation of pasture is still the backbone of dairy farming in NZ and the key to efficient production of milk solids, farming environments and farmer objectives are more varied than ever. The days of one cow fits all herds are over, and NZ farmers need to take account of traits important to the efficient production of milk solids in their system. Breeding the perfect herd takes time. It will be 5-6 years before you see results from a breeding plan, so consistency and planning are vitally important. Achieving valuable and consistent gains in the key production, management and functional type traits takes time and focus. The purpose of a Breeding Plan is to set out genetic gain objectives - and the strategy to be used to get there. It develops a course of action that is to be followed over time, and allows you to track progress and make sure that a consistent path is followed. A Breeding Plan is a tool designed to document your goals and keep your herd improving in the direction your business needs it to. You can revisit the Plan anytime your business or production system goals change. Your herd is the most productive asset you will ever own. Use the power of cumulative gain delivered by genetics to get the most from them. 4

5 PROCESS Developing the plan starts with a GAP analysis on your herd. It is just like soil testing in the old days (mid 80s?) every farmer put 3 hundredweight of super on in the autumn just like every other farmer. Then the research showed that farmers could save tens of thousands of dollars by targeting the right fertiliser at the right rates to particular parts of the farm. So we start by working out where we need to be what is the target/objective? Then we work out where we are now what is our starting point? Now we know the gap and we can work out our breeding priorities. STEP ONE: What kind of farm system do you have? This identifies the key traits that you should be focusing on in order to achieve your business and production system objectives. STEP TWO: What kind of herd have you got? This herd analysis can be carried out via our SireMatch service. It uses cow breeding values and pedigree information to produce Herd Trait Profiles identifying traits that need attention. STEP THREE: What traits (from Step Two) must I prioritise? What traits (from Step One) must I prioritise? What team of bulls will get me closest to these objectives? BREEDING OBJECTIVES Herd Objectives EXAMPLE Lift Protein to Fat ratio to 0.9. Improve fertility. Increase production to 130,000kgs in 5 years. Bull Team Strategy Select Friesian bulls with a protein to fat ratio of >1.2. Year One Run bull team against the herd to determine most appropriate allocation of semen using SireMatch. Year Two Revisit the logic of the plan and continue to modify as required. Year Three Analyse heifers for first signs of type improvement and check plan for continued relevance. Year Four Analyse production performance of the herd to determine rate of gain in desired areas. 5

6 MY BREEDING PLAN HERD OBJECTIVES: BULL TEAM STRATEGY: YEAR ONE: Run bull team against the herd to determine most appropriate allocation of semen using SIreMatch. 6

7 YEAR TWO: Revisit the logic of the plan and continue to modify as required. YEAR THREE: Analyse heifers for first signs of type improvement and check plan for continued relevance. YEAR FOUR: Analyse production performance of the herd to determine rate of gain in desired areas. 7

8 HERITABILITY AND REPEATABILITY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HERITABILITY AND REPEATABILITY Heritability refers to the proportion of an animal s production and liveweight differences which are due to differences in genetic merit, ie available to be passed onto progeny. Repeatability refers to the proportion of an animal s production and liveweight differences which are repeated from year to year. This is a result of the genetic merit of an animal plus any permanent factors (for example, rearing environment) which will affect its lifetime performance. ANIMALS WITH NO RECORDS Animal evaluations are based on the genetic links provided through ancestry information. For animals with no records of their own, such as young stock, ancestry records are the source of information used to establish their expected ranking relative to others. For animals where only partial or no ancestry records exist, other methods are required to produce their evaluations. An unrecorded animal is defined as having part or all of its ancestry records missing. Animals which fall into this category include those with unrecorded sire and/or dam identification codes. An animal can have unrecorded ancestry and still have records on its own performance. The performance of unrecorded animals relative to their recorded contemporaries is used to estimate the genetic merit of the group of average sires and the group of average dams which would have been required to breed these type of animals. A genetic group solution represents the average sire or dam for all unrecorded animals of the same birth year, breed and country of origin. Where an animal s ancestry records are incomplete, the appropriate genetic group solution is substituted for the missing parent information. Source: interpreting-the-info/breeding-values/ Trait Heritability Total longevity 7.2% Liveweight 35% Milk 36% Protein 31% Milkfat 33% Fertility 9% Somatic Cells 15% Calving difficulty 4.3% Residual survival 5.5% Adaptabilty to milking 13% Shed temperament 14% Milking speed 21% Overall opinion 13% Stature 37% Capacity 22% Rump angle 25% Rump width 19% Legs 7% Udder support 20% Front udder 20% Rear udder 20% Front teat placement 25% Rear teat placemaent 28% Udder overall 23% Dairy confirmation 19% 8

9 UNDERSTANDING NEW ZEALAND GRAPHS BREEDING VALUES New Zealand Animal Evaluation Limited (NZAEL) calculates Breeding Values () and Breeding Worth (BW) index using information from the sire's relatives (ancestry & progeny) and the sire's own records by comparing it to that of the Genetic Base Cow. The genetic base cow is the average of a group of well recorded New Zealand cows (across all breeds) and is updated every five years to reflect genetic progress. BW and Breeding Values (s) are now expressed relative to this genetic base. Breeding values are deviations above or below (-) the same genetic base cow (regardless of breed). NZMI is a CRV Ambreed index, which breeds towards strong and capacious cows that are efficient producers of high value milk, with good shed traits, fertility and the udders to keep them profitably producing in the herd for longer. Reference: Genomic Index Explained: Breeding Indicators SAMPLE DATA NZMI BW / Rel OAD Long LiveWt %Health %Eff / Production Management & Health Milk (lts) Prot (kg) Prot (%) Fat (kg) Shed Traits BA Adaptability Milking QUICKLY Shed Temperament LOVELY Milking Speed FAST Overall Opinion WELL-LIKED Conformation 85 dtrs, 27 herds Fat (%) Fat & Prot (kg) Fertility BCS SCS Calving Diff Gest Length Res Survival dtrs TOP Stature TALL Capacity CAPACIOUS Rump Angle SLOPING Rump Width WIDE Legs CURVED Udder Support STRONG Front Udder STRONG Rear Udder STRONG Front Teat CLOSE Rear Teat CLOSE Udder Overall DESIRABLE Dairy Conformation DESIRABLE CRV Ambreed calculates the New Zealand Merit Index (NZMI), %Health and %Efficiency on all sires as well as genomic information. 9

10 BREED AVERAGES (BA) Although NZ runs an across breeds evaluation, it is still very important that we are able to ascertain which bulls (or cows) of a particular breed are good, bad or indifferent within their breed. This can be done by using the Sire Breed Averages which are calculated by AEU. Included in the calculations are all AE Enrolled sires, that have a BW Reliability of at least 60% with 20 NZ daughters and at least one two year old daughter herd tested in the last 5 years. The appropriate breed averages are included on every bull page in the catalogue, so this information is readily available for breeders/ clients. Sire breed averages are calculated for 5 breeds - Holstein-Friesian, Jersey, Ayrshire, Friesian-Jersey cross and Other. BETTER LIFE HEALTH (% HEALTH) The Better Life Health (BLH) index, expressed as a percentage, indicates the bull s progeny will have a lower rate of health incidents like mastitis, lameness, difficult births or reproductive problems. The traits that are factored into this index for New Zealand include fertility, calving difficulty, somatic cell count, residual survival, condition score and a number of TOP values. Overall opinion, body condition score, longevity, capacity and udder overall, indirectly support an animal s health and ease of management in the herd. BETTER LIFE EFFICIENCY (% EFF) The Better Life Efficiency (BLE) index supports sustainable dairy farming by helping to reduce feed costs and increasing lifetime production, resulting in a lower environmental footprint. You can easily see the expected efficiency value of an individual sire. A higher percentage means the sire s progeny are more efficient at converting feed to milk over the course of their productive life. The traits included in the BLE index for New Zealand are kilos of milk, fat, protein, liveweight, longevity, and fertility. INDEX KEY Better Life Health (% Health) Better Life Efficiency (%Eff) 1-4% = Improved performance 5-9% = Excellent performance 10% + = Superior performance Compared to population average. 10

11 BREEDING INDICATORS NZMI LIVEWEIGHT LOW HIGH LOW HIGH This is the CRV Ambreed desired gains index. It aims to breed a productive, long-lasting (5.5 lactations) cow that will typically produce about 450 kgms a year by balancing production, management and type traits. Breeding Indicators 85 dtrs, 27 herds NZMI BW / Rel OAD Long LiveWt %Health %Eff / The estimated liveweight of the animals is calculated using parent average and actual weighting (static only) and/or TOP score if available. Breeding Indicators 85 dtrs, 27 herds NZMI BW / Rel OAD Long LiveWt %Health %Eff / BW % HEALTH LOW HIGH LOW HIGH New Zealand s economic index that ranks bulls and cows on their expected ability to breed profitable (370 kgms/year) and efficient replacements. Breeding Indicators 85 dtrs, 27 herds NZMI BW / Rel OAD Long LiveWt %Health %Eff / The CRV Ambreed index known as Better Life Health helps you select animals that will have more or less incidences of health problems throughout their lifetime. Breeding Indicators 85 dtrs, 27 herds NZMI BW / Rel OAD Long LiveWt %Health %Eff / TOTAL LONGEVITY % EFFICIENCY LOW HIGH LOW HIGH The total longevity breeding value is defined as the expected genetic merit of a cow to live for more (or fewer) days of herd life relative to the genetic base cow. Breeding Indicators 85 dtrs, 27 herds NZMI BW / Rel OAD Long LiveWt %Health %Eff / The CRV Ambreed index known as Better Life Efficiency helps you easily see the expected efficiency value of an individual sire. Breeding Indicators 85 dtrs, 27 herds NZMI BW / Rel OAD Long LiveWt %Health %Eff /

12 PRODUCTION TRAITS MILK (LTS) PROTEIN (KG) LOW HIGH LOW HIGH This trait measures the expected volume of milk produced by the individual and is of interest due to transport costs associated with moving milk from farms to processing plants around the country. This is why milk is valued negatively in both NZMI & BW. Production Milk (lts) Prot (kg) Prot (%) Fat (kg) Fat (%) Fat & Prot (kg) Milk protein is a component of the milk produced by cows and is the most valued output (by processors) from NZ dairy farms. It is also the single most important trait for both NZMI & BW. Production Milk (lts) Prot (kg) Prot (%) Fat (kg) Fat (%) Fat & Prot (kg) FAT (KG) MILK FAT AND PROTEIN (%) LOW HIGH LOW HIGH Milk fat is the other component of milk which is paid for by milk processors in NZ and is used in producing lower value commodities such as butter. Production Milk (lts) Prot (kg) Prot (%) Fat (kg) Fat (%) Fat & Prot (kg) Fat % & PRO% The Fat % and Protein % are Breeding Value estimates. The Breeding Values for Fat % and Protein % are not expressed as deviations but include the base averages (2005 born cows) Production Milk (lts) Prot (kg) Prot (%) Fat (kg) Fat (%) Fat & Prot (kg)

13 MANAGEMENT & HEALTH FERTILITY CALVING DIFFICULTY LOW HIGH EASY DIFFICULT Fertility refers to the expected % extra likelihood of a cow to re-calve in the first 42 days of the herds calving period. Management & Health Fertility BCS SCS Calving Diff Gest Length Res Survival Although the calving difficulty is expressed in terms of assisted births in first-calving heifers, the can also be used to identify bulls that are expected to increase rates of assisted calving for cows carrying the bull s calves. Management & Health Fertility BCS SCS Calving Diff Gest Length Res Survival BODY CONDITION SCORE (BCS) SHARP COVERED GESTATION LENGTH SHORTER LONGER Body condition score is commonly used as a method to assess body energy reserves. Management & Health Fertility BCS SCS Calving Diff Gest Length Res Survival The number of days shorter or longer than the average gestation period of a dairy cow. Use this strategically to tighten your calving pattern. Management & Health Fertility BCS SCS Calving Diff Gest Length Res Survival SOMATIC CELLS SCORE (SCS) RESIDUAL SURVIVAL NEGATIVE POSITIVE LESS MORE Good udder health is typically reflected in low levels of somatic cell counts in milk. Management & Health Fertility BCS SCS Calving Diff Gest Length Res Survival Residual survival is defined as herd-life after accounting for the genetic effects of production, liveweight, milk, somatic cells and fertility on herd-life. Management & Health Fertility BCS SCS Calving Diff Gest Length Res Survival

14 SHED TRAITS ADAPTABILITY TO MILKING SLOWLY QUICKLY A description of how soon the animal settled into the milking routine after calving specifically taking into account how many milkings before let down was spontaneous and completed without extra attention. SHED TEMPERAMENT GRUMPY LOVELY Measures the temperament of the animal in the shed while being handled and milked. It is a different trait to adaptability to milking as it is assessed once an animal has settled into the milking routine. Shed Traits BA Adaptability Milking QUICKLY Shed Temperament LOVELY Milking Speed FAST Overall Opinion WELL-LIKED Conformation 56 dtrs TOP Stature TALL Capacity CAPACIOUS Rump Angle SLOPING Rump Width WIDE Legs CURVED Udder Support STRONG Front Udder STRONG Rear Udder STRONG Front Teat CLOSE Rear Teat CLOSE Udder Overall DESIRABLE Dairy Conformation DESIRABLE MILKING SPEED SLOW FAST The length of time from putting on the cups to when the milk flow stops or cups are taken off. Those cows that have nice silky udders (in contrast to meaty, lumpy udders) tend to be quicker milkers. OVERALL OPINION POOR WELL-LIKED A farmer s overall acceptance of the animal as a herd member. 14

15 INDIVIDUAL COW ASSESSMENT You will gain a first impression of an individual cow in seconds. It is of course important to look more carefully at specific attributes of the cow before cementing your opinion. Start at the front (because that is where the action begins); 1. MUZZLE width determines how much grass can be devoured and therefore production & capacity 2. EYES (do they sparkle!!!) normally eyes will give an indication as to the health of an animal. 3. HEAD will also give a feel as to type and style. 4. SHOULDER and RIB (for bone and capacity) 5. TOPLINE and TAIL SETTING (along the top of the cow to the loin and pins) 6. UDDER, UDDER SUPPORT (ligament) and TEAT PLACEMENT. 7. Finally but by no means least LEGS AND FEET MOBILITY taking into account the terrain and the distance walked from paddock to shed. All of this is a guideline only but gives you a starting point. The best method for assessing the cow will be to apply the industry standard method of T.O.P (Traits Other than Production) inspection, as detailed in the following pages. TOP ASSESSMENT Traits Other Than Production (T.O.P) has been a vital tool in the advancement of the New Zealand breeding industry since introduced in Temperament, milking speed and conformation contribute to the overall value of any animals within a herd and any bull that transmits them. The objective of the T.O.P system is to provide accurate and unbiased comparisons of cows and sires which provides information easily utilized. The T.O.P evaluation system is run by the T.O.P Advisory Committee which operates under the auspices of the National Animal Evaluation Board. Because the average size of New Zealand herds has grown substantially in the last decade, and in all probability will continue this trend, it means that dairy cows have to adapt or fit into fast milking routines. The T.O.P system includes farmer traits that scores adaptability to milking, shed temperament and milking speed. To give an example of the importance of the physical traits of dairy cows consider the following: Live weight influences overall efficiency if animals are heavier than necessary for their level of production. Udder characteristics are vital in determining easy machine milking which reduces labour costs and improves milking efficiency. Udder scores also help determine, along with other traits, how long a cow is likely to last within the herd which affects profitability. The T.O.P assessment should paint a picture in the mind of the cow itself and not of the imagined ideal cow. This means that the accuracy and judgement of the cow traits by the T.O.P inspectors is instrumental in providing the information. Each trait is scored separately on a scale of 1 to 9, where 1 and 9 represent the possible biological extremes. The traits included in the T.O.P system are the traits currently considered most important in dairy cattle. They include four traits scored by the farmer, and are scored separately from the T.O.P inspector traits. 15

16 CONFORMATION - STATURE STATURE SHORT TALL The height at the shoulder of the animal. This trait is measured across all breeds, resulting in all Jerseys being negative on the breeding values bar graph, Ayrshires being intermediate and Friesians being mainly positive. Shed Traits BA Adaptability Milking QUICKLY Shed Temperament LOVELY Milking Speed FAST Overall Opinion WELL-LIKED Conformation 56 dtrs TOP Stature TALL Capacity CAPACIOUS Rump Angle SLOPING Rump Width WIDE Legs CURVED Udder Support STRONG Front Udder STRONG Rear Udder STRONG Front Teat CLOSE Rear Teat CLOSE Udder Overall DESIRABLE Dairy Conformation DESIRABLE

17 CONFORMATION - CAPACITY CAPACITY FRAIL CAPACIOUS Combination of strength and depth of chest and body as viewed from side, rear and front in relation to the physical size of the cow. This is an important trait and reflects an animals feed intake ability and withstand the rigours of life. Shed Traits BA Adaptability Milking QUICKLY Shed Temperament LOVELY Milking Speed FAST Overall Opinion WELL-LIKED Conformation 56 dtrs TOP Stature TALL Capacity CAPACIOUS Rump Angle SLOPING Rump Width WIDE Legs CURVED Udder Support STRONG Front Udder STRONG Rear Udder STRONG Front Teat CLOSE Rear Teat CLOSE Udder Overall DESIRABLE Dairy Conformation DESIRABLE

18 CONFORMATION - RUMP ANGLE RUMP ANGLE HIGH SLOPING Describes the angle between the centre of the hip and the top of the pin bone. A negative indicates the cow has high pins and a positive indicates low pins. A flat to slightly sloping rump is optimal and is scored 5-6. Shed Traits BA Adaptability Milking QUICKLY Shed Temperament LOVELY Milking Speed FAST Overall Opinion WELL-LIKED Conformation 56 dtrs TOP Stature TALL Capacity CAPACIOUS Rump Angle SLOPING Rump Width WIDE Legs CURVED Udder Support STRONG Front Udder STRONG Rear Udder STRONG Front Teat CLOSE Rear Teat CLOSE Udder Overall DESIRABLE Dairy Conformation DESIRABLE

19 CONFORMATION - RUMP WIDTH RUMP WIDTH NARROW WIDE Distance between the most posterior point of the pin bones relative to the size of the animal. This trait is a good predictor of the width a cow has throughout her body. Shed Traits BA Adaptability Milking QUICKLY Shed Temperament LOVELY Milking Speed FAST Overall Opinion WELL-LIKED Conformation 56 dtrs TOP Stature TALL Capacity CAPACIOUS Rump Angle SLOPING Rump Width WIDE Legs CURVED Udder Support STRONG Front Udder STRONG Rear Udder STRONG Front Teat CLOSE Rear Teat CLOSE Udder Overall DESIRABLE Dairy Conformation DESIRABLE

20 CONFORMATION - LEGS LEGS STRAIGHT CURVED Measures the angulation or set of the rear legs and is measured from an imaginary line between thurls and mid-hoof while the cow is walking. A low score indicates a straight leg, whilst a high score indicates a sickled or curved leg set. A score close to 5-6 is considered ideal. Shed Traits BA Adaptability Milking QUICKLY Shed Temperament LOVELY Milking Speed FAST Overall Opinion WELL-LIKED Conformation 56 dtrs TOP Stature TALL Capacity CAPACIOUS Rump Angle SLOPING Rump Width WIDE Legs CURVED Udder Support STRONG Front Udder STRONG Rear Udder STRONG Front Teat CLOSE Rear Teat CLOSE Udder Overall DESIRABLE Dairy Conformation DESIRABLE

21 CONFORMATION - UDDER SUPPORT UDDER SUPPORT WEAK STRONG This trait describes the strength of the suspensory ligament as viewed from the rear. It also includes the udder depth relative to the hocks. Udder support is a very important trait in determining the number of lactations a cow s udder will survive. Shed Traits BA Adaptability Milking QUICKLY Shed Temperament LOVELY Milking Speed FAST Overall Opinion WELL-LIKED Conformation 56 dtrs TOP Stature TALL Capacity CAPACIOUS Rump Angle SLOPING Rump Width WIDE Legs CURVED Udder Support STRONG Front Udder STRONG Rear Udder STRONG Front Teat CLOSE Rear Teat CLOSE Udder Overall DESIRABLE Dairy Conformation DESIRABLE

22 CONFORMATION - FRONT UDDER FRONT UDDER LOOSE STRONG Measures the strength of attachment of the fore udder to the body wall. Shed Traits BA Adaptability Milking QUICKLY Shed Temperament LOVELY Milking Speed FAST Overall Opinion WELL-LIKED Conformation 56 dtrs TOP Stature TALL Capacity CAPACIOUS Rump Angle SLOPING Rump Width WIDE Legs CURVED Udder Support STRONG Front Udder STRONG Rear Udder STRONG Front Teat CLOSE Rear Teat CLOSE Udder Overall DESIRABLE Dairy Conformation DESIRABLE

23 CONFORMATION - REAR UDDER REAR UDDER LOOSE STRONG Describes the height and width of the rear udder attachment as distinct from udder support. Shed Traits BA Adaptability Milking QUICKLY Shed Temperament LOVELY Milking Speed FAST Overall Opinion WELL-LIKED Conformation 56 dtrs TOP Stature TALL Capacity CAPACIOUS Rump Angle SLOPING Rump Width WIDE Legs CURVED Udder Support STRONG Front Udder STRONG Rear Udder STRONG Front Teat CLOSE Rear Teat CLOSE Udder Overall DESIRABLE Dairy Conformation DESIRABLE

24 CONFORMATION - FRONT TEAT FRONT TEAT WIDE CLOSE The placement of the front teats (at the point of attachment to the udder) relative to the centre of the quarters. A low score indicates wide front teats whilst a high score indicates close front teats. Shed Traits BA Adaptability Milking QUICKLY Shed Temperament LOVELY Milking Speed FAST Overall Opinion WELL-LIKED Conformation 56 dtrs TOP Stature TALL Capacity CAPACIOUS Rump Angle SLOPING Rump Width WIDE Legs CURVED Udder Support STRONG Front Udder STRONG Rear Udder STRONG Front Teat CLOSE Rear Teat CLOSE Udder Overall DESIRABLE Dairy Conformation DESIRABLE

25 CONFORMATION - REAR TEAT REAR TEAT WIDE CLOSE The placement of the rear teats (at the point of attachment to the udder) relative to the centre of the quarters. A low score indicates wide rear teats whilst a high score is close and 5 is central. Shed Traits BA Adaptability Milking QUICKLY Shed Temperament LOVELY Milking Speed FAST Overall Opinion WELL-LIKED Conformation 56 dtrs TOP Stature TALL Capacity CAPACIOUS Rump Angle SLOPING Rump Width WIDE Legs CURVED Udder Support STRONG Front Udder STRONG Rear Udder STRONG Front Teat CLOSE Rear Teat CLOSE Udder Overall DESIRABLE Dairy Conformation DESIRABLE

26 CONFORMATION - UDDER OVERALL UDDER OVERALL UNDESIRABLE DESIRABLE The inspector gives an overall score of the udder including any other udder traits not measured before. Udder overall score can be used to simply compare the overall udder standard of bull daughters. Shed Traits BA Adaptability Milking QUICKLY Shed Temperament LOVELY Milking Speed FAST Overall Opinion WELL-LIKED Conformation 56 dtrs TOP Stature TALL Capacity CAPACIOUS Rump Angle SLOPING Rump Width WIDE Legs CURVED Udder Support STRONG Front Udder STRONG Rear Udder STRONG Front Teat CLOSE Rear Teat CLOSE Udder Overall DESIRABLE Dairy Conformation DESIRABLE

27 CONFORMATION - DAIRY CONFORMATION DAIRY CONFORMATION UNDESIRABLE DESIRABLE An overall conformation score combining all traits except udder traits. Dairy conformation is a useful trait for simply comparing animals for dairy type. Shed Traits BA Adaptability Milking QUICKLY Shed Temperament LOVELY Milking Speed FAST Overall Opinion WELL-LIKED Conformation 56 dtrs TOP Stature TALL Capacity CAPACIOUS Rump Angle SLOPING Rump Width WIDE Legs CURVED Udder Support STRONG Front Udder STRONG Rear Udder STRONG Front Teat CLOSE Rear Teat CLOSE Udder Overall DESIRABLE Dairy Conformation DESIRABLE

28 GENETIC DEFECTS CVM/BLAD/CIT/SCS Within the New Zealand Dairy population, there are four genetic defects identified that have a financial impact on the industry. These are found within the Holstein-Friesian breed and include; Complex Vertebral Malformation (CVM), Bovine Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency (BLAD), Citrullinemia (Cit) and Small Calf Syndrome (SCS). As technology improves, so will the likelihood of further genetic defects being discovered. The most severe outcome of all these defects is calf mortality resulting from mating a carrier sire with a carrier female, these matings have a 25% chance of the calf expressing the defect. We have used DNA testing to detect the genetic status in young bulls to be progeny tested. Those found to be carriers of defects have not been included in CRV s programme. By not selecting these young sires, we will eliminate these defects reasonably quickly from the population. Use of mating programs like CRV s SireMatch will ensure that high genetic merit sires that carry recessive genes can be used safely within herds, as the programme will avoid the mating of a carrier sire with a carrier female by exploring and detecting pedigrees that have possible mating conflicts. INBREEDING The mating between animals that are more closely related than the average relationship in the breed. In common usage, inbreeding refers to matings between close relatives, such as father to daughter, brother to sister, and half-brother to halfsister. Planned breeding programs often use this strategy of breeding to concentrate desired genes in the breeding stock, and fix a type, or look. It is a process that exposes both the good and bad qualities in the stock. Inbreeding does not create undesirable recessive genes, but it does tend to bring to light these unfavorable genetics. It is however, up to your individual level of acceptance. 28

29 PEDIGREE STATUS EXPLANATION PEDIGREE INFORMATION IN THE CATALOGUE All bulls marketed in the catalogue on a half page spread have their pedigree (family) information displayed in the same way; their Sire (father), Dam (mother), PGSire (Paternal Grand-Sire), PGDam (Paternal Grand- Dam, MGSire (Maternal Grand-Sire), MGDam (Maternal Grand-Dam), listed in the bulls page of the catalogue: SIRE: MACFARLANES DAUNTLESS DAM: CULGLEN HOLIDAY BALI S3F GP84 PGSire: MACFARLANES DAUNTLESS PGDam: MACFARLANES DAYZEE MGSire: GLENMEAD R E HOLIDAY-ET MGDam: CULGLEN HRATIO BLACKI S2F GP82 These parts of a bull s family are used in the catalogue to ensure breeders/clients have enough pedigree information to avoid inbreeding where necessary. PEDIGREE STATUS EXPLANATION Animals registered with a breed association may belong to either Main Herd book (full pedigree) or Supplementary Register. Full pedigree status is indicated by pedigree name and REGISTERED BREED appearing top left on a Three Generation Pedigree (3GP). If an animal is supplementary registered a suffix indicating status will follow the animal s name. Full pedigree animals (P) must have breed make-up F16 (Holstein-Friesians) or J16 (Jerseys) and at least four generations registered pedigree sires behind them. Animals not fitting this enter Supplementary Register depending on number of registered pedigree ancestors and respective breed content as recorded on database. Subsequent generations sired by registered pedigree bulls progress through the system until reaching Main Herd Book full pedigree status. HOLSTEIN-FRIESIANS: In Holstein-Friesians the suffixes indicating supplementary register and/or pedigree status are as follows: S0F = 50% or minimum breed make-up F8 S1F = 75% or F12 S2F = 87.5% or F14 S3F = 93.75% or F15 Pedigree (no suffix) = >96% or F16 JERSEYS: In Jerseys animals are able to be registered from minimum breed make-up J1 and upwards. The suffixes indicating supplementary register and/or pedigree status are as follows: S0J = minimum breed content J1 S1J = J12 S2J = J14 S3J = J15 Pedigree (no suffix) = J16 29

30 POLL FOREHEAD BRIDGE OF NOSE MUZZLE NOSTRIL JAW THROAT SHOULDER BLADE POINT OF SHOULDER DEWLAP BRISKET POINT OF ELBOW KNEE SHANK SOLE NECK BACK CHINE LOIN RUMP WITHERS HEART GRITH CROPS BARREL REAR RIBS HIP THURL TAIL HEAD PIN BONE THIGH TAIL STIFLE REAR UDDER ATTACHMENT FLANK REAR UDDER SUSPENSORY LIGAMENT CHEST FLOOR FORE RIBS MILK WELLS MAMMARY VEINS FORE UDDER ATTACHMENT FORE UDDER TEAT SWITCH HOCK HEEL PASTERN HOOF DEW CLAW 30

31 NOTES 31

32 THERE S A BETTER WAY TO GET THE WHOLE JOB DONE AT YOUR PLACE. CRV Ambreed makes herd improvement easy with everything you need in one place. BETTER COWS NZ Dairy Sires LowN Sires Global Dairy Sires FertaBull and Dairy Beef Sires SiryX Sexed semen CRV Progeny Test Programme BETTER PRODUCTS ESTROTECT TM Heat Detectors Flashmate Heat Detectors AI Equipment Ear Tags BETTER SERVICE CRV Gene Team Herd Testing AI Technicians DNA Parentage Testing BETTER INFORMATION CRV Herd Recording CRV InSight SireMatch PortaBull enquiries@crv4all.co.nz CRV Building, Level 2, 2 Melody Lane, Innovation Park, Hamilton 3240 PO Box 176, Hamilton 3240 BETTER COWS BETTER LIFE Ambreed