Genetic Parameters of Test Day Measures for Somatic Cell Count, Milk Yield, and Protein Percentage of Milking Ewes

Abstract

Records from monthly test days for milk yield, natural log-transformed SCC, and protein percentage of 10,171 records of 3832 Spanish Churra ewes in 24 herds were analyzed to estimate genetic parameters. Heritabilities and genetic and phenotypic correlations for test day records were estimated using multivariate REML with an animal model, accounting for the effects of litter size, test day within herd group, age at lambing, and month in milk. Heritabilities for test day records of milk, log SCC, and protein percentage were .34, .04, and .13, respectively. Genetic correlations of test day measures of SCC with milk yield and protein percentage were -.37 and .37, respectively; phenotypic correlations were -.05 and .19. Considered as a random effect, test day within herd accounted for 28 and 17% of the total variance of test day milk yield and test day SCC, respectively. The correlation between milk yield and SCC because of the test day within herd, the covariation factor, was estimated to be -.16. Results indicate a moderately high heritability for milk yield, a low heritability for SCC, and moderate, negative genetic relationships between measures of SCC in milk and milk yield.