Factors influencing calving difficulty and gestation length in dairy cows inseminated with beef sires.

Producing calves with higher economic value by utilising semen from beef breeds in dairy herds (Beef-on-Dairy, BoD) has become more common in recent times. Such crossbreed calves promise better carcass conformation and higher consumer acceptance due to the better flavour, but the widespread adaptation of BoD requires careful consideration of the sire breed to maximise the benefits. In this regard, two major traits of interest are calving difficulty and gestation length due to associated costs.

Genetic investigations on backfat thickness and body condition score in German Holstein cattle.

Up to now, little has been known about backfat thickness (BFT) in dairy cattle. The objective of this study was to investigate the lactation curve and genetic parameters for BFT as well as its relationship with body condition score (BCS) and milk yield (MKG). For this purpose, a dataset was analysed including phenotypic observations of 1929 German Holstein cows for BFT, BCS and MKG recorded on a single research dairy farm between September 2005 and December 2022.

Impact of inbreeding on production, fertility, and health traits in German Holstein dairy cattle utilizing various inbreeding estimators.

In dairy cattle production, it is important to understand how inbreeding affects production, fertility, and health traits. However, there is still limited use of genomic information to estimate inbreeding, despite advancements in genotyping technologies. To address this gap, we investigated the effect of inbreeding on German Holstein dairy cattle using both pedigree-based and genomic-based inbreeding estimators.

Effects of the Breeding Strategy Beef-on-Dairy at Animal, Farm and Sector Levels.

The decline in farm revenue due to volatile milk prices has led to an increase in the use of beef semen in dairy herds. While this strategy ("Beef-on-dairy" (BoD)) can have economic benefits, it can also lead to unintended consequences affecting animal welfare. Semen sale trends from breeding organizations depict increasing sales of beef semen across the globe.