Danish Breeds Research Articles

Calving performance in damish breeds of dual purpose cattle

In the last decade much information has already been obtained on calving performance, especially by means of biometrics. The present publication gives additional data on this subject. Data from 1 484 first calvings in two dual purpose Danish breeds of cattle (Red Danish and Black Pied Danish) were analysed. The original data from the progeny testing stations, and calving performance was scored on a scale: 1 = normal; 2 = slightly difficult; 3 = very difficult. The age of the helfers was on average 29.6 months. Heritability for the scored calving performance was calculated in two different ways, the results ranging from 0.13 to 0.32 for Red Danish and from 0.10 to 0.18 for Black Pied Danish. The phenotypic correlation between calving difficulty score and weight of calf was found to be between 0.18 and 0.26 for both breeds. The levels of the genetic correlations indicate that in the Red Danish breed the bigger heifers have the easiest calvings. For the Black Pled Breed the smallest heifers have the easiet calvings. For both breeds heifers with wider hips and thurls have more difficult calvings.

Calving performance in danish breeds of dual purpose cattle

Calving performance in danish breeds of dual purpose cattle

Verification of the Occurrence of the αs1-Casein A Allele in Red Danish Cattle

αs1-Casein A, a rare genetic polymorph of the αs1-casein fraction of cow's milk, probably arose through the sequential deletion of eight amino acid residues. The αs1-A allele was thought to occur only in American Holstein cattle; however, it has been reported to occur in low frequency in Red Danish cattle. No ancestral relationship can be found between Red Danish cattle and the Holstein breed, hence further confirmation of the identity of these two polymorphs was sought. The proteins were isolated by DEAE-cellulose chromatography and the fingerprints of their chynotryptic digests compared. The αs1-A variant from the Red Danish breed proved to be identical with that of the Holstein breed where αs1-A was first observed. Therefore, it is proposed that this mutant form of αs1-casein is of more ancient ancestry, since no relationship between the Red Danish and the American Holstein breeds can be documented.

Yield of colostrum and immunoglobulin in cattle at the first milking after parturition

SUMMARYThe experimental animals consisted of 71 heifers or cows of the Black and White Danish breed (SDM), 61 heifers or cows of the Red Danish breed (RDM), and 8 heifers or cows of the Jersey breed. Highly significant differences between breeds were found in yield of colostrum at first milking after calving and in the concentration of immunoglobulin (Ig) in colostrum. The RDM animals had the highest colostrum yield but the lowest Ig %. The total yield of Ig was not significantly different between RDM and SDM. The individual variation in colostrum yield, Ig %, and Ig yield was very marked.Heifers had a lower colostrum yield and Ig yield than cows in second and later lactations. For SDM the Ig % was not dependent on the lactation number. In contrast the older RDM cows had a significantly higher Ig % in colostrum than the younger cows. No effect of season of the year was found on colostrum yield, Ig %, and Ig yield. An increase of the interval between calving and the first milking caused a very significant drop in colostrum Ig %. Loss of colostrum from the udder before milking increased the probability of getting colostrum with low Ig %. The repeatability in Ig % at successive calvings was found to be high.

Blood Groups and Breed Structure as Exemplified by Three Danish Breeds

Blood Groups and Breed Structure as Exemplified by Three Danish Breeds

Sobre as variações dos índices de hemoglobina, proteína total do plasma e do valor hematócrito no decurso da premunição com as agentes das plasmoses bovinas

The hemoglobin, total plasm protein and hemotocrit contents of 20 animals of the Red Danish breed, were determined during the premonition against cattle plasmosis. It was emphazised a pronounced fall in the hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, namely during the phase of anaplasmosis attack. On the other hand the total protides level showed no remarkable variation in the course of the disease. The authors suggest that the presence of cattle plasmosis in this country is the most important factor which would explain in part, either the low adaptability or the low hemoglobin content and the reduced number of hematias in imported cattle.

A Genetic Analysis of the Red Danish Breed of Cattle

A Genetic Analysis of the Red Danish Breed of Cattle

Inheritance of Milking Capacity

A STUDY of the milk yields of the progeny of 728 bulls of the Red Danish breed has been made with a view to determine—first, the ability of each bull to transmit the different degrees of milking capacity; and secondly, having thus obtained an index of this ability, to determine the extent to which it was influenced by the various animals in his pedigree. The average number of daughters to each bull was 18. The figures were taken from the annual reports of the Milk Recording Societies throughout Denmark for 1918–1931. The daughters' yields were mainly calculated on the average of the first two lactations and corrected to the third lactation. The records of the dams and grandams were based on as many lactations as possible, from three to ten, and averaging 5.5. The average of these uncorrected lactations was taken as an indication of the milking capacity of the dam or grandams.

The inheritance of butter-fat percentage in crosses of Jersey with red Danes

As a result of the investigations I state as conclusion that all data seem to indicate thatone genetic factor exists which causes the difference in content of butter-fat in the milk of the Jersey and Red Danish breeds. This genetic factor varies in its effect, but the effect is equally great whether it meets a gene for high or low percentage butter-fat. Besides this, it is possible that some of the Jersey bulls used in the experiment had a modifying factor which caused an increase in butter-fat percentage, but the existence of this factor has not yet been definitely proved.