Selection for postweaning growth in inbred Hereford cattle: the Fort Keogh, Montana line 1 example

Demographic characteristics and genetic trends in birth weight and pre- and postweaning ADG were examined in a population of Hereford cattle (Line 1). Line 1 was founded largely from two paternal half-sib sires and has been selected for postweaning growth. There were pedigree records on 951 members of the base population that predated 1935, when data collection began. Numbers of records analyzed using mixed-model methodology were 4,716 birth weight, 4,427 preweaning ADG, and 3,579 postweaning ADG. Birth weight and preweaning ADG were considered to have direct and maternal genetic components. Inbreeding accumulated rapidly from 1935 to 1960 and more slowly (.22%/yr) thereafter. Any reduction in additive genetic variance due to inbreeding and selection may have been offset by a concurrent reduction in generation interval that was observed as time progressed. Expected selection differential for 365-d weight, averaged over sexes, was 31.2 kg per generation. For birth weight, annual genetic trends in direct and maternal effects were 42 +/- 3 g and 15 +/- 3 g, respectively. Annual direct and maternal genetic trends for preweaning ADG were .70 +/- .06 g/d and .63 +/- .06 g/d, respectively. Direct response in postweaning ADG was linear and equal to 5.3 +/- .6 g.d-1.yr-1. As a result, estimated breeding values of birth weight, 200-d weight, and 365-d weight increased by 3.2 kg, 14.5 kg, and 62.4 kg, respectively, from 1935 to 1989. Selection within Line 1 was effective in increasing genetic potential for growth over 13 generations. No selection plateau was observed in any of the traits examined.