WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN NEW SIRES TO BREED FINE DAIRY COWS FOR HIGH PRODUCTION HERDS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 34, 5 September 1949, Page 5

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN NEW SIRES TO BREED FINE DAIRY COWS FOR HIGH PRODUCTION HERDS

(By W. H. Mandeno, Consulting Officer, N.Z. Dairy. Board) From enquiries received for assistance 'in locatitng good y'oung bulls it is evident that dairymen are giving some thought to purchases. Vendors also have been busy for the last few months catalogueing and are now grooming their' offerings to meet this seasonal demand. As it is natural for the vendor to paint a rosy picture it is up to the buyer to complete the scene.

Confidence in his methods is shown by the breeder who welcomes prior inspection of bull, herd, and feeding level on his farm. The .goodwill of buyers is .gained by the breeder putting all his cards on the table. This Involves demonstration of all related animals with their production records for all lactations. To complete the picture the factory statement may even be shown alongside the total test returns as buyers are quite capable of understanding that the careful rearing of pedigree calves takes as much if not more full milk than grades. It is important that buyers should inspect the female stock jn fancied pedigrees after examination pf the •catalogues. Although production is the main essential of the dairy cow 'the soundness of udder, jaw and feet of the grand dams, dam and sisters of a young bull can give confidence that records quoted will be continued in the progeny to be bred. Official type classification can be of some assistance in this regard —although it is not unknown 'for cows with the highest classification to. break down before completing a long and useful life. Similarly it is true that a cow may have a good udder, jaw and feet but fail to please a classification committee. As inheritance of type is no stronger than of butterfat production it is wise to keep production well to the fore in selection. Crossing of Breeds Some farmers appear to favour an occasional crossing of breeds. Whilst this often leads to improved constitution through hybrid vigour in the first class it also leads in ■later generations to undesirable variation as regards milk yield and

test—'let alone colour and shape. It ' should be remembered that in all the breeds there are wide variations among the strains as regards, such factors as constitution. Thus by a change of strain within a breed the -desired character may usually be introduced. Of course this is hot often recommended amongst pedigrees where uniformity is more greatly prized than among grades. In fact ‘line breeding’ or even ‘inbreeding’ to a particularly desired ancestor is the general rule amongst

stud breeders. Thus a stud becomes • known because of the adherance to ‘Sam’, ‘Owler’, ‘Majesty’ etc., strains. To obtain uniformity of type, it is . necessary to concentrate the factors inherited from a particular strain, but the extent to which it is usually done is harmless. In fact to be effective line breeding must usually be so close as to considerably step up the culling rate. As it has been found in cross breeding experiment that the inherited factors for production are the same in all breeds let alone strains within breeds—it is important that the one factor to which line breeding should be aimed is that of production. The more “-•'the factors for production are concentrated the greater is the chance that the offspring by a bull—even from mediocre cows—will be good producers. It has been shown in

U.S.A. that production increase is the same without crossing as with line breeding so long as proven sires are used in each case. It is most important then to know where the higher producing strains may be found. To this end the N.Z. Dairy Board issues- its Sire Survey and Merit Register. There are of course other sources of information. There is advertisement by the individual breeder regarding his highly classified and top-producing animals—but rarely is the herd average and average test published. Then there are the Various breed publications which contain results of Government testing and official classification for type. These are of considerable value for obtaining records of cows throughout the country. Unfortunately, only now is the acceptance of continuous testing becoming general amongst most breeders and the official recods show up only too plainly the tendency to rely on single records. These certainly indicate the production in a single lactation, but practical men want to know what a cow will produce in her lifetime. In an attempt to give prominence to bulls shown to be leaving worthwhile daughters, and cows capable of sustained good production, the Sire Survey and Merit Register has been acclaimed by overseas research workers and is the basis for

purchase of breeding stock by an increasing proportion of New Zea- ! land farms. So successful has it been while based on practical farmer’s own testing system that even conservative breeders have adovated its introduction in connection

with the Government controlled testing systems. The annual issues are available from Herd Improvement Associations. Important Requirements When about to buy a bull it is as well to reconsider the qualities we want in dairy cattle. The only really important requirements in the eyes of most farmers are: — 1. Good production under economic conditions. 2. Fertility—ability to calve regularly. 3. Constitution—resistance to disease. 4. Long productive lifetime. 5. Good dairy temperament. It is reasonable then to go to a breeder who has been producing such stock. From a family With several generations of such females a son by a good proven bull is the best buy possible.