Effects of temperament on production and reproductive performances in Simmental dual-purpose cows

The aim of the current research was to evaluate the effects that temperament has on production and reproduction performances in Simmental dual-purpose cattle breed. Behavioral reactivity of cows significantly influenced (P <= 0.05) the body weight, milk yield, fat yield, protein yield, protein content, and the calving interval of the cows included in the study-head, having more substantial effects (P <= 0.001) on the milking speed and the number of steps per day, with calmer cows outperforming the nervous counterparts. However, temperament did not influence (P > 0.05) traits such as days open, number of inseminations per gestation, fat percentage, somatic cell count, body condition score, cleanliness of udder and cleanliness of hindquarter. Significant negative phenotypic correlations were found between temperament and cows body weight (-0.19), milk yield (-0.19), fat yield (-0.14), protein yield (-0.18), and milking speed (-0.18). Current results suggest that selection for calm temperaments will translate into increased milk, fat, and protein yields in Simmental cattle, as well as shorter the calving interval and improved milk ejection. (C) 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc.