US 11,690,361 B2 · Transition cow index

Abstract

Applicants have identified that three critical phenotypic/genetic measures are highly correlated with transition period health and may be used in selection and breeding protocols and/or in combination with traditional breeding and marker assisted selection methods to improve predictability of transition period health. According to the invention genetic evaluations for mastitis, ketosis, and metritis have been found to be highly predictive of overall transition health. The genetic evaluations are produced by directly measuring thousands of clinical cases of mastitis, ketosis, and metritis in ancestors of a particular animal and using this data in selection. Applicant's selection criteria and quickly impact a breeders population by reducing transition cow disease incidence in the initial population and in progeny.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of breeding bovine animals to create a progeny population with improved milk production and health during the transition period comprising:

a) detecting in a sample from at least one bovine subject of a population the presence or absence of at least one genetic marker associated with mastitis, at least one genetic marker associated with metritis, and at least one genetic marker associated with ketosis;
b) assigning an estimated breeding value to said bovine subject based on the presence or absence of said genetic markers;
c) selecting a bovine animal ranked within the top 30% of the population based on said estimated breeding value, wherein the selected bovine animal is used as a first parent bovine animal;
and
d) breeding said first parent bovine animal with a second parent bovine animal to create said progeny population, wherein female bovine animals of said progeny population demonstrate improved milk production and health during the transition period when compared to female bovine animals of a progeny population where a first parent bovine animal has not been so selected.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Transition cow index

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Transition cow index

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20