13 Sep 2010
Most calves at Dutch dairy farms are dehorned to prevent future injury. Since inbred polled cattle are found in nature, Wageningen UR Livestock Research has carried out studies to review the feasibility of breeding for this hornless quality. A breeding programme would appear to offer good opportunities for obtaining polled bulls with a high breeding value for milk production.
Few polled bulls are available for artificial insemination. The breeding values of these bulls for milk production are currently low in comparison with the bulls frequently used in the Netherlands. Breeding hornless bulls will need to seek a balance between integrating this hornless quality into the population, genetic gains and the minimisation of inbreeding. The risk of inbreeding can be controlled. Although the available polled bulls are fairly strongly related to each other, they are less related to the current horned cattle. A prudent breeding programme can avoid an excessive inbreeding rate and relatedness.
Markers
Selection with markers offers good opportunities for breeding polled bulls with a high breeding value for milk production within the next 10 years. Cattle farmers can adopt a variety of strategies for breeding this hornless quality into their herds. It is expected that the gradual deployment of polled bulls will be the best strategy. After 10 years 50% of the new-born calves will be polled bulls offering a comparable breeding value.
Breeding hornless bulls
A continually increasing number of breeding organisations are becoming interested in hornless bulls. It is expected that both the demand for and supply of polled bulls with a high breeding value for milk production will increase sharply. The future would appear to lie with breeding hornless bulls. This will reduce the need for dehorning.
Download the report
Report 346. Wenselijkheid en mogelijkheden voor het fokken van hoornloze koeien, fase 2 (Desirability and opportunities for breeding polled cattle. Phase 2) is the end result of the policy-support study carried out within the context of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality's animal well-being project, project number BO-07-011-015, and the research project carried out for the Dairy Board (Dairy Farming Committee).
You can download the report free from http://edepot.wur.nl/146790.
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