Several research studies confirm the association of the linear type traits with longevity, but only with one trait at a time. The aim of our study was to analyse the influence of combinations for linear type traits on longevity in the Hungarian Holstein-Friesian cows. Data were provided by four herds; the filtered dataset consisted of 17,717 cows. From the 14 available linear type traits, the most important combinations were identified based on principal components and cluster analysis. From the six identified combinations, only three (chest width-body depth, fore udder attachment-udder depth, angularity-rear udder height) proved to have a significant effect on longevity. A wide chest and deep body caused a high-risk ratio of culling. The lowest risk ratio was observed with cows having intermediate chest width and intermediate body depth. Very angular cows having low rear udder height were at the highest risk of culling. The lowest culling risk was found in cows with a lack of angularity and high rear udder height. Weak and loose fore udder along with deep udder had increased culling risk. Strong and tight fore udder subclasses were the most favourable as their risk ratios decreased towards the shallowing of udder depth.
The aim of the current research was to analyze the linear type traits of Hungarian Simmental dual-purpose cows scored in the first lactation using principal component analysis and cluster analysis. Data collected by the Association of Hungarian Simmental Breeders were studied during the work. The filtered database contained the results of 8 868 cows, born after 1997. From the evaluation of main conformation traits, the highest correlations (r = 0.35, P < 0.05) were found between mammary system and feet and legs traits. Within linear type traits, the highest correlation was observed between rump length and rump width (r = 0.81, P < 0.05). Using the principal component analysis, main conformation traits were combined into groups. There were three factors having 84.5 as total variance ratio after varimax rotation. Cluster analysis verified the results of the principal component analysis as most of the trait groups were similar. The strongest relationship was observed between feet and legs and mammary system (main conformation traits) and between rump length and rump width (linear type traits).
The study aimed to investigate the effect of the combination of year and season of breeding period, egg weight, the annual hatching order of chicks and the hatchability of eggs on the relative risk of total loss for chicks during their 48-week life period. The examination was conducted on one of the largest farms in Hungary working with sixty breeding birds, kept in trios (one male and two females). The research covered the growing information of 1606 chicks hatched in 2019, 2020 and 2021. The highest relative risk of total loss was revealed in autumn 2020 and 2021. In comparison with the reference group (2021 summer), the relative risk of total loss was significantly lower in summer 2019 (p < 0.05) and spring 2020 (p = 0.0049) 2020 (p = 0.0000) and 2021 (p = 0.0348) spring. Both between years and between seasons the tendency of relative risk was the same. The relative risk of total loss increased until the end of the third quart of the incubation period, then remained unchanged. Chicks from groups having weak hatchability (≤50%) had the highest relative risk (p < 0.05).
The Hungarian Simmental cattle is a dual-purpose breed, having good milk and meat production characteristics. Simmental cows have some other important traits, for example, a longer productive life. The longevity or productive life is the time period between first calving and culling. The conformation contributes to productive life, reproduction, and milk production. The aims of this study were to analyze the longevity of Hungarian Simmental dual-purpose cows, to evaluate the effects of the size of the herd, age at first calving, main type traits (frame, musculature, feet and legs, mammary system), and combination of main type traits (frame and musculature, feet and legs and mammary system). Animal, age at first calving, herd*calving, musculature, the mammary system as well as the combination of mammary system and feet and legs were significant effects on longevity. The highest risk ratio was observed for cows first calved after 31 months. The risk of culling increased with increasing scores of musculature and decreasing scores of the mammary system. The highest risk ratio was estimated in category 11 (lower scores of mammary system with lower scores of feet and legs). In this case, the risk ratio was 36% higher than the reference group.
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