A research on reproduction, milk production, milk quality and linear type traits of simmental (fleckvieh) cows

In this study, in addition to the type traits of Simmental (SIM) breed of Austrian and German origin, raised in a disease-free private farm with a milking capacity of 550 heads in Karacabey District of Bursa Province, the reproduction, milk yield and milk quality characteristics of the breed were determined based on the records kept between 2018 and 2023. The overall means of linear type traits for body structure, rump height (RH), rump length (RL), rump angle (RA), rump width (RW), back length (BL), body depth (BD), chest length (CL), muscularity (M); for udder structure, fore udder attachment (FUA), teat length (TL), teat tickness (TT), front teat placement (FTP), fore udder length (FUL), rear udder length (RUL), udder depth (UD), central ligament (CL), rear teat angle (RTA), rear teat attitude (RTA), rear teat placement (RTP), rear udder height (RUH); for foot-leg structure, hock agularity (HA), hock development (HD), hoof angle (HA), hoof height (HH) and ankle angle (AA) were determined as 142.25±0.73 cm, 43.39±0.58 cm, 5.13±0.14, 21.21±0.41, 84.67±1.36 cm, 74.82±0.69 cm, 5.64±0.12, 5.37±0.13, 5.37±0.20, 5.45±0.16 cm, 3.50±0.09 cm, 3.97±0.15, 5.38±0.15, 4.99±0.15, 3.73±0.20, 4.75±0.24, 4.67±0.16, 4.87±0.17, 4.97±0.20, 4.86±0.17, 4.96±0.18, 4.96±0.18, 4.30±0.12, 4.32±0.11 cm and 5.53±0.12, respectively. Among the fertility traits, the general averages of first inseminatin age (FIA), first calving age (FCA), calving interval (CI), days open (DO), gestation legth (GL), number of insemination per pregnancy (NIPP) and reproductive efficienct (RE) were 16.06±0.37 months (488.08±11.38 days), 25.29±0.40 months (768.79±12.05 days), 383.16±7.65 days, 106.61±7.76 days, 279.85±0.67 days, 2.09±0.15 pieces and 103.40±3.09%, respectively. For the milk yield characteristics, the general averages of lactation legth (LL), lactation milk yield (LMY), 305 days' milk yield (305-gMY) and dry period (DP) were 324.27±8.06 days, 9051.98±381.15 kg, 8566.70±272.81 kg and 65.05±5.92 days, respectively. Milk quality characteristics include Milk fat content (MFC) 3.83±0.09%, milk protein content (MPC) 3.42±0.03%, milk lactose content (MLC) 4.82±0.03%, total dry matter content (TDMC) 12.78±0.11%, milk urea nitrogen amount (MUN) 16.19±0.39 mg/dL and logharitmic somatic cell count (Log10SCC) 4.650±0.058 (44 274 cells/mL) was determined. As a result, it has been determined that the milk yield levels of SIM cattle of German and Austrian origin, which have been preferred by breeders in Turkey in recent years, are high, their fertility characteristics are close to the ideal values accepted for cattle, their MFC and MPC are high, and their SCC level is quite low. These characteristics of this genotype show that it is an alternative genotype to the Holstein Friesian breed, which is widely raised in our country and around the world. Key Words: Cattle, Body structure, Foot-leg structure, Udder structure, First calving age, Calving interval, Reproductive efficiency, 305-d milk yield, Milk fat content, Milk protein content, Somatic cell count