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Estimation of genetic parameters of Holstein calf survival

  • TROP-D-23-00310R2
  • Published:
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Abstract

Calf survival is not only an animal welfare issue but also helps to avoid huge losses in economic and genetic material due to calf mortality. Therefore, improving calf survival is essential in dairy breeding. The objective of this study was to explore the factors affecting the survival of Holstein calves in the Ningxia Region and to estimate the genetic parameters of calves using linear models and threshold models. Descriptive statistics were made for 43,847 Holstein calves born from 2018 to 2022 in Ningxia. The number of calves that died at 2–30 d was the highest, the survival rate was the lowest at 451–750 d, followed by 61–180 d and 2–30 d. Studies on the survival rates of calves born in different months have found that calves born in April have the lowest survival rates and calves born in October and December have higher survival rates. Calves born in autumn, third parity, and singleton calves are more likely to survive. The heritability of calf survival traits ranged from 0.002 ~ 0.136. Thus survival is a low heritability trait. Genetic correlation between different survival stages ranged from 0.3991 (2–30 d to 451–750 d) to 0.9985 (361–450 d to 451–750 d), the phenotypic correlation ranged from 0.1476 (2–30 d to 451–750 d) to 0.9582 (361–450 d to 451–750 d). The low genetic correlation between early and late survival suggests that survival in early and late stages may be influenced by different genetic factors. This study is helpful to understand the survival status of Holstein calves and provide a theoretical basis for improving the survival rate of calves.

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Data availability

The datasets analyzed in this study are not publicly available because they are private, but can be obtained from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Ningxia Agricultural Reclamation Helan Mountain Dairy Industry Corporation for facilitating the data collection and providing access to production records, and to the members of the Ningxia advantage and characteristic cattle industry science and technology innovation team. The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationship that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Funding

This research was funded by Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Key R&D Projects (2021BEF01001,2021NXZD1, 2022BBF02017,) and a grant from the China Agriculture Research System (CARS- 36).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Ruminant Molecular and Cellular Breeding, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, College of Animal Science and Technology, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, 750021, China

    Bingqin Du, Honghong Hu, Junxin Zhang, Bei Cai, Yanfen Ma, Xiaoyan Cai & Yun Ma

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  1. Bingqin Du
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  2. Honghong Hu
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  3. Junxin Zhang
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  4. Bei Cai
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  5. Yanfen Ma
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  6. Xiaoyan Cai
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  7. Yun Ma
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Contributions

Du Bingqin, Hu Honghong and Ma Yun contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Du Bingqin, Hu Honghong. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Du Bingqin and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Yun Ma.

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Du, B., Hu, H., Zhang, J. et al. Estimation of genetic parameters of Holstein calf survival. Trop Anim Health Prod 56, 44 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-023-03874-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-023-03874-z

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