Genetic Parameters for Milk Yield, Survival, Workability, and Type Traits for Australian Dairy Cattle

Abstract

Genetic parameters, such as heritabilities and genetic correlations were estimated for milk yield, survival, workability, and type traits for Australian Holstein-Friesian and Jersey cattle. All analyses were performed using multivariate REML with a sire model. Heritabilities for lactation yield traits were moderate, ranging from .20 to .28, and heritabilities for mean test day deviations were approximately .40 higher. Heritabilities for survival (probability of surviving to the next lactation) were low, ranging from .02 to .08. Genetic correlations between survival scores were high, ranging from .37 to .98, in particular between adjacent survival scores (on average .91 and .97 for Holstein-F..