In dairy cattle production the majority of research has concentrated on yield traits, which represents only one component contributing to overall efficiency and profitability. For some other dairy production traits, including management traits such as milking temperament, little or no attention has been given in genetic selection programs. Temperament can be defined in terms of either milking behavior, ease of handling or aggressiveness at feeding. In Canada, temperament at the time of milking, referred to as milking temperament, has been recorded for several years by milk recording agencies. Moreover, several reports have shown that milking temperament has been a factor for dairy cow disposal to an amount up to 1.5% (Burnside et al., 1971 ; Westell et al., 1980 ; PATLQ, 1999). Although milking temperament can be considered a trait of importance, especially in herds with automated milking systems, relatively little work has been done in the past to evaluate the genetic component of such a behavioral trait and its relationship with other traits such as production, type and other auxiliary traits.
Proceedings of the World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production, Volume 2002. Session 1, , 1.5, 2002
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