Relationship between exterior features with milk component composition of ayrshire cows

Abstract

In order to effectively manage the genetic resources of the Ayrshire cattle population and conduct a directed selection of the parent group to improve traits related to productive longevity and milk quality, a study was conducted to identify the relationship between the linear assessment of the conformation, as well as the udder and leg indices (UDC and FLC) with the main indicators of the component composition of milk. As a result of the conformation type assessment, it was found that the quality of the udder of cows of the first calving had, on average, positive estimates: UDC = +1.0 ± 0.09 units of genetic deviation, due to the high rates of attachment of the front udder lobes, the height of attachment of the hind lobes and the udder furrow. An average negative value of the leg composition index (FLC = -0.2±0.07) was noted, which is associated with a low classification score of the limbs and insufficient heel height in the study sample. Animals with better udder attachment and strong legs from the UDC≥0 and FLC≥0 groups produced milk with a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) by 0.008 g/100 g (P≤0.01), along with this, milk from cows with more healthy limbs contained less somatic cells (SCC), urea (Urea) and medium chain fatty acids (MCFA). The difference between the groups UDC≥0 and UDC