Abstract

The survival to 2, 3 and 4 lactations of British Holstein-Friesian dairy 
cattle, linear type classified before September, 1984, was analysed at 
the phenotypic level, fitting in the model all type traits including 
total score and first lactation milk yield and composition. Total score 
was found to have a significant effect on the survival of the cow, as did 
a number of the linear type traits, specifically those relating to udders 
and teats. Milk yield and fat percentage were highly significant, whereas 
protein percentage removed little additional variation. A similar 
analysis of sire breeding values for linear type traits found that, after 
correcting for yield, total score fitted after the linear traits had 
little effect on the survival of the progeny.
 

S. Brotherstone, William G Hill

Proceedings of the World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production, Volume XIV. Dairy cattle genetics and breeding, adaptation and conservation., , 209–212, 1990