Genetic and Phenotypic Relationships Between Certain Body Measurements and First Lactation Milk Production in Dairy Cattle,

Abstract

Genetic and phenotypic correlations between milk production and six body measurements taken at five ages were estimated to study the usefulness of body measurements in predicting future milk production. Measurements of body length, chest depth, heart girth, paunch girth, weight, and withers height were obtained at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months of age and at 3 months postpartum, from two experiment station Holstein herds and one experinmnt station Guernsey herd. Correlations were estimated from 157 daughter-dam pairs and from paternal sister analyses involving from 37i to 452 daughters of 71 sires.