Analysis of systematic and genetic parameters for the lactational incidence of uterine torsion in the dairy cattle breeds German Brown and German Holsteins

In the present study a lactational incidence for uterine torsion of 1.38 % was found in 9088 calvings of the dairy cattle breeds German Brown, German Holstein, German Fleckvieh and crossbreeds in the districts Ravensburg and Friedrichshafen (Baden- Wuerttemberg). Uterine torsions occurred with a lactational incidence of 2.38% in German Brown and with a lactational incidence of 0.78% in German Holsteins. German Brown cows were at a significantly higher risk compared with German Holsteins and German Fleckvieh. Significant seasonal effects were found only for differences in lactiational incidences among a few months. Births from commercial crosses of German Fleckvieh bulls with German Brown cows showed significantly more often uterine torsion. The herd had an influence on the incidence of uterine torsion in German Holsteins. The heritability estimates for it were h2 = 0.03% for German Brown and h2 = 1.3% for German Holsteins. A positive additive genetic correlation between incidence of uterine torsion and gestation length was found for German Holsteins (rg = 0.57) and for German Brown (rg = 0.85).

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