Maternal behavior of beef cows at parturition

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Reproductive Biology
• Quantitative Genetics

Background:

• Maternal behavior and calf traits are crucial for beef cattle production.
• Understanding the heritability and genetic correlations of these traits is important for breeding programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the heritability of maternal behavior, calf birth weight, and calf condition.
• To determine the genetic correlations between maternal behavior and calf traits.

Main Methods:

• Data from 2,684 parturitions over 11 years were analyzed.
• Maternal behavior was rated on a scale of 1-11 (aggressiveness to attentiveness).
• Calf birth weight and condition were recorded, and heritability estimates were calculated.

Main Results:

• Heritability estimates were low for maternal rating (.06 ± .01) but moderate for birth weight (.48 ± .02) and condition (.19 ± .01).
• Genetic correlations between maternal rating and calf traits were near zero.
• Nongenetic influences were the primary drivers of variation in maternal aggressiveness.

Conclusions:

• Maternal behavior in the studied cow population is largely influenced by environmental factors.
• Calf birth weight and condition show moderate heritability, suggesting potential for genetic improvement.
• Breeding for improved maternal behavior based on these genetic parameters is unlikely to be effective.