The dairy industry faces a unique challenge to constantly improve
functionality of the dairy cows tomeet the needs of future production
and reproduction demands. The basis of improvements is selection of the best animals. The accuracy of
selection can be increased by using the combined analysis of both direct
information on herd life and indirect information obtained from conformation traits. Generally, conformation traits are
important in dairy cattle development. These traits are used for selection of
animals through creating the predict equation based on the independent variable
and assuring selection of the superior animal with its important trait.
The functional conformation traits that influence or facilitate the longevity
and reproduction status of dairy cows are the appearance of udder conformation,
feet and leg conformation, thoracic and abdominal body conformation, and rump and loin structure. The
relationship between conformation traits with milk production and
reproduction traits might be different among breeds, which could have implications for the use of conformation traits in different
dairy cattle breeding programmes. The estimated correlations between
longevity and different conformation traits are also varying with breeds.
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