The influence of different factors on resistance of dairy cows to mastitis

摘要

The frequency of mastitis in more than 28 thousand cows was investigated. We report on how age and level of productivity, season of the year, "milkmaid" factor, udder properties, and hereditary factors influence mastitis frequency. The influence of the mothers and fathers on resistance or predisposition of the daughters to mastitis is shown. Among daughters from sick mothers the disease is two and more times higher than in the offspring of healthy cows; the frequency of mastitis ranges among families from 0 up to 57%. High variability of the sire's breeding value on mastitis stability (from -4.2 up to +24.0%) was found established. The factors of mastitis inheritance are low, on average 0.1.