Estimating variances due sire × herd effects requires a large number of sires to be represented in multiple herds, otherwise too much variation between animals is ‘picked up’ as variance due to sire × herd effects, and heritability estimates are biased downwards. Such bias can be avoided by using only records for progeny of multiple-herd use sires to estimate the additive genetic variance. Esti...

Pre-slaughter live weight, dressing percentage, and hot standard carcase weight (HCWT) from the 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 birth-years of the Information Nucleus Flock Lambs (n=7325) were analysed using linear mixed effects models. Increasing the sire breeding value for post-weaning weight (PWWT), and c-site eye muscle depth (PEMD), and reducing the sire breeding value for fat depth (PFAT) all h...

Genetic parameters including the proportion of variance for the service sire effect were estimated for number of piglets stillborn (including piglets died until 24 h after birth) and number of piglets died from 24 h after birth until weaning in Czech Large White (89 231 litters) and Czech Landrace (28 320 litters) pigs. Both traits were considered to be traits of the sow. Two two-trait animal m...

Sire genetic evaluations for protein yield, productive life, and selected type traits from the US were correlated with sire evaluations for disease from Denmark and Sweden and were then adjusted to approximate genetic correlations. Disease categories from Denmark included reproductive diseases, foot and leg diseases, metabolic and digestive diseases, and all diseases other than mastitis. Geneti...

Effects of fetal sire on postpartum reproductive changes of the dam were studied in 21 Holstein heifers whose pregnancy had been initiated by either Angus (n = 7), Holstein (n = 7) or Brahman (n = 7) bulls. After parturition, all heifers were managed uniformly. Heifers in each service-sire-breed group were bled via jugular venipuncture thrice weekly from d 160 to 265 of pregnancy, daily thereaf...

Use of bovine somatotropin to increase product ion of milk and milk solids poses the problem of allocation within herd and implications for genetic evaluatat ion records with and without bovine somatotropin were simulated for different correlations between performance with and without t reatment and response to it. Resulting within-herd variances and accuracy and bias in sire evaluations were c...