Genetic Factors Affecting

Fertility in Dairy Cows

Miracle of Milk
Denise Rich, www.therichartist.com
UF Dairy ~ 1914
Levy County Dairy, 2004
 Trends in Milk Yield and
Daughter Pregnancy Rate for US Holsteins
28000 32

Daughter Pregnancy Rate

26000
30
24000
Milk yield (lb)

28
22000
20000 26
18000
24
16000
22
14000
12000 20
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Birth Year
http://aipl.arsusda.gov/ARSWeb/eval/summary/trend.cfm
 Reproductive Losses After Insemination
Approximate Embryonic and Fetal Losses
When Calving Rate is 30%

100

80
15%
fertilization
Number
60
failure 54%
early
40 embryo
mortality 15%
20 late 10%
embryo fetal loss
mortality
Two-cell Bovine Embryo 0
AI Fertilization Day 28 Day 45 Term
US Palpation
 TAKE HOME MESSAGE
Reproductive Function of Dairy Cattle
Can Be Improved Genetically
----Crossbreeding
----Selection for Reproduction
 Genetic Control of Reproduction
The heritability for reproduction is low (days open=0.04)

which means lots of variation in reproduction

due to environment

which means identifying genetically-superior

animals is difficult

which doesnt mean there are not genes

controlling reproduction
 Inheritance of the Polled Gene

Irish Moiled Cattle

21,000 genes
30 pairs of chromosomes

Polled (Dominant)

Horned (Recessive)
 Calpastatin a gene that produces
a protein that inhibits an enzyme
called calpain ; present in muscle
(controls tenderness) and repro
tract

N=672 Holstein sires

PTA-Daughter Differences in $ Value
Pregnancy Rate Days Open
CC (homozygous) +0.13 0 +$67.86

CT (heterozygous) -0.44 +2.28 $16.72

TT (homozygous) -0.69 +3.28 $0

 UTERINE MILK PROTEIN
(also called uterine serpin)
Progesterone-induced protein in endometrium
implicated in inhibition of cell proliferation
and immune function

A/G mutation at posn 1296 related to PL

Khatib et al., J. Dairy Sci. 90:2427 (2007)

(A/G 1296)
(n=1363 bulls) (n=913 bulls)

0.26-1.44 months longer productive life

 Inbreeding
and
Crossbreeding

Swedish Red x Normande-Holstein

Inbreeding mating between related individuals

Animals born from matings between related individuals are more likely to
have identical copies of each gene can be harmful

Crossbreeding greatly reduces the number of genes where both copies

are identical heterosis
 CVM cerebral vertebral malformation (late
abortions and stillbirths
DUMPS deficiency in 5-uridine
monophosphate synthase (early-mid term
abortion)

Calf with cervical vertebral malformation

Dr. Robert Duncan, VPI

Normal Gene (Dominant)

Defective Gene (Recessive) - abortion

 Trends in Inbreeding
for US Holsteins and Jerseys
Inbreeding Coefficient, % 8
Holstein
Jersey
6

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Birth Year
http://aipl.arsusda.gov/ARSWeb/eval/summary/trend.cfm
 Inbreeding at 5%

5% of all the genes are homozygous

http://www.ansci.umn.edu/research/crossbreeding.htm
http://www.ansci.umn.edu/research/crossbreeding.htm
http://www.ansci.umn.edu/research/crossbreeding.htm
http://www.ansci.umn.edu/research/crossbreeding.htm
http://www.ansci.umn.edu/research/crossbreeding.htm
http://www.ansci.umn.edu/research/crossbreeding.htm
Performance of Crossbreds
in Florida

Large multi-state project underway to

evaluate Norwegian Red x Holstein
crosses in United States

Sponsored by Semex (Canada) and

Geno (Norway)

States involved include Wisconsin,

Michigan, Tennessee, Florida, others

Coordinated by Gary Rogers, University

of Tennessee

Part of a bigger 17-country trial

 Irish Results
Norwegian Red vs Holstein
>1300 cows (10 NR sires), 46 herds
grazing dairies, seasonal calving

Trait Holstein Norwegian Norwegian

Red x Red
Holstein
Days to first 80 80 80
breeding
Conception 57 60 60
rate at first
insemination
305-day milk 11,783 11,746 11,328
yield, lb
SELECTION
FOR
FERTILITY
DAUGHTER PREGNANCY RATE (USA - 2003)

Number of cows that became pregnant during a given 21-day period

DPR =
Number of cows that were eligible for breeding

A 1% difference in herd pregnancy rate = ~ -4 days open

Blastoff - #1 Holstein bull

for DPR (August 2006)

+3.4 (=~13.6 days open)

Milk +793
DAUGHTER FERTILITY (Canada - 2004)
R=0.5 for DPR and DF

Determined by:

Heifers
Age at first insemination
56-day NRR

Lactating cows
Interval calving to insemination
56-day NRR, first insemination
Canadian Dairy Network

Genetic Correlation between DPR & Milk Yield = -0.31

 Average DPR, by Breed
(VanRaden et al., 2004)
5.5%
Jersey Milking
5.0%
Daughter Pregnancy Rate (%)

4.6% Shorthorn
4.5% 4.3%

4.0%
3.5%
3.0%
Guernsey
2.5% Ayrshire Heterosis
2.0%
2.0% 1.8% 1.8%

1.5%
1.0% Brown
Swiss Holstein
0.5%
0.1% 0.0%
0.0%
Breed of Cow
From Kent Weigel, Univ. Wisconsin
 USDA economic index (and year introduced)
PD$ MFP$ CY$ NM$ NM$ LNM$ LNM$
Trait
(1971) (1976) (1984) (1994) (2000) (2003) (2006)

Milk 52% 27% -2% 6% 5% 0% 5%

Fat 48% 46% 45% 25% 21% 22% 23%

Protein ... 27% 53% 43% 36% 33% 20%

Productive
life
... ... ... 20% 14% 11% 20%
Somatic
cell score
... ... ... -6% -9% -9% -8%
Udder
composite
... ... ... ... 7% 7% 6%
Feet/leg
composite
... ... ... ... 4% 4% 3%

Size
composite
... ... ... ... -4% -3% -3%

Daughter
preg. rate
... ... ... ... ... 7% 7%

Calving
ability
... ... ... ... ... 4% 5%

From Kent Weigel, Univ. Wisconsin

 Trends in Breeding Value for DPR
for US Holsteins
Breeding Value for DPR 8
Sire
6 Cow

4 1994 Productive Life

Introduced into NM

-2
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Birth Year
http://aipl.arsusda.gov/ARSWeb/eval/summary/trend.cfm
DAUGHTER FERTILITY (Canada - 2004)
 Examples Highlighted by Alta
Genetics
www.altagenetics.com

1800 Cow Iowa Dairy

Average 21-Day Average Average
Number of Conception Pregnancy Days 305-Day
Daughters Rate Rate Open ME Milk

Blastoff (+3.4% DPR) 58 51% 29% 94 23,398

All 2 yr olds 755 30% 16% 120 22,836

2100 Cow California Dairy

Average 21-Day Average Average
Number of Conception Pregnancy Days 305-Day
Daughters Rate Rate Open ME Milk

Formation (+0.9% DPR) 181 33% 19% 113 24,856

Champ (-3.5% DPR) 202 21% 12% 144 25,210

All Cows 2112 26% 17% 123 23,845

 Take Home Messages

Dairy cattle fertility is determined

largely by environmental factors but
the genetic component should not be
ignored

Crossbreeding can result in an improvement in fertility and longevity

and a decrease in milk yield

The profitability of crossbreeding will vary from farm to farm;

good estimates of the economic value of crossbreeding
have not been made

A genetic evaluation tool for reproduction now exists in the form

of Daughter Pregnancy Rate

Daughters of bulls with high Daughter Pregnancy Rates will be more fertile
on average than contemporary herd mates
Hansen@animal.ufl.edu