Table of Contents 1.WhyBestPractice?...3 2.BestPracticePrinciples...4 2.1GeneticConnectedness...4 2.2UseaccurateIDsystems...7 2.3Captureaccuratepedigreeandbirthdate...8 2.4Managesheepaslargermobsandusemobcodes...9 2.5Measureallanimals...11 2.6Completenessofrecording...11 2.7Minimisedatarecordingerrors...13 2.8EnterdataontoSILinatimelymanner...13 2.9Maindatatypesandtheircharacteristics...14 3.Reproduction;Adult...15 3.1Naturalmating...15 3.2Pregnancyscanningandfetalaging...16 4.Reproduction;Hogget...17 4.1HoggetFertility...17 5.Survival...19 6.LambGrowth...22 6.1Lambweaningweight(WWT)...22 6.2Autumnliveweight(LW6,LW8,orLW10)...25 6.3Eweadultsizeandbodyconditionscore...26 7.MeatYield...27 7.1Liveanimalmeasurements:UltrasoundandCTscanning...27 7.2Measurementspostslaughter:CarcassweightandVIAscan...29 8.Wool...30 8.1BareBelly+BareBreech...30 8.2Wool.Fleeceweightandfibrediameter...31 9.HealthTraits...32 9.1DagScore...32 9.2WormFEC:recordingforparasiteresistance...33 9.3Facialeczema(FE):RamGuard...35 9.4Stayability(STAY)...37 10.Appendices...39 10.1Chronologicalorderforrecordingtraitsforeachsubindex...39 10.2SummaryofIndexes...40 10.3Glossary:generalterms,breedingvalues,indexes...41 B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 2
1.WhyBestPractice? Achievinggeneticgoalsrequiressystemsandpracticesthatmaximiseaccuracyofgenetic data.thefollowingbestpracticeguidelinesaretohelpbreedersextractmaximumvaluefrom thegeneticevaluationofdatarecorded. Geneticevaluationsystemsbasedonstatisticalanalysisofpedigreeandperformancerecords aredesignedtodistinguishgeneticeffectsfromknownnon.geneticeffects.thesenon.genetic effectsincludefarm,season,mob,dateofbirth,birthrank&ageofdam.makingadjustments forsucheffectsleadstomoreaccurateestimatesof geneticmerit forindividualtraits (estimatedbreedingvaluesorebvs)andforprofit(economicselectionindexes). Makingfaircomparisonsbetweenlargegroupsofanimalsmeanswehavetobalancethe additionalworkrequiredtocollectdataforgoodgeneticimprovementwithwhatisgenerally practicalon.farm.anexampleofthisiswhereafarmermaygivelighterewesbetterfeed whileforgeneticselectionitwouldbeidealforallewestohavesimilarfeedinglevels. Applyingtheprinciplesof bestpractice reducesbiasindatacollectionandmaydetect recordingerrorsclosetothecollectionpoint(forexamplesex,tagreadingdouble.ups).biases alsooccurwhenwemistakeenvironmentalfactorsforgeneticeffects. Geneticprogressisfasterwhenweworkwithlargergroupsofanimalsandgeneralprinciples likethisaredescribedfurtheron,togetherwithhowtocollectenoughdatatomakeeffective evaluationsforthedifferentperformancetraits. BestPracticePrinciples 1.Buildgeneticconnectednessacrossflocks,years,managementmobsand eweagegroups 2.UseaccurateIDsystems 3.Captureaccuratepedigreeandbirthdate 4.Managesheepaslargermobs,usemobcodeswhengroupsaretreateddifferently 5.Measureallanimals 6.Measureallkeypredictortraits 7.Minimisedatarecordingerrors 8.EnterdataontoSILinatimelymanner B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 3
2.BestPracticePrinciples 2.1GeneticConnectedness Non.geneticeffectsmustbeseparatedfromgeneticeffectstoallowaccurateestimationof geneticmerit.onewaytodothisistouse linksires toconnectdifferentgroupsofanimals. Itisrecommendedthatlinksireshaveaminimumof25measuredprogenypergroupforthe evaluationtomakefairadjustmentsbetweengroupsformosttraits.forlowheritability traits,moreprogenyrecordswouldbedesirablebutmaynotbepractical. AcrossFlocks Initssimplestform,thebestwaytoremovenon.geneticdifferencesbetweenflocksistohave someanimalsineachflockwiththesamesireinthesameyear(a linksire ).Thelinksire providesuswithabenchmarktocompareperformanceofanimalsandtoaccountfornon. geneticdifferencesbetweenflocks(location,climate,feeding). Figure1:Useofacrossflockconnectednesstomorefairlycomparegeneticmeritoframs. Intheaboveexamplefourflocksusecommonlinksire(redX),whichprovidesthebenchmark forcomparingtheflocks(reddottedline).progenyofhomebredsirescanthenberanked relativetothelinksire. SILrecommendsuseof2ormorelinksireseachyearonwhichtherelevanttraitsare measuredinallflockstoconnectacrossflocks.thelinksiresshouldhave25ormoreprogeny measuredforthetraitsofinterest.forreproduction,retainingenoughprogenytohave25 daughterswithlambingrecordsiscritical. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 4
Informationonyourflockconnectedness,including trafficlight reportsand participation andconnectedness tablerelatingtothenzgecanbeobtainedfromthesilwebsite,orby phoning0800silhelp(0800745435). Consultyourbureauoracrossflockmanagerforinformationonacrossflockgroup connectedness.breedinggroupsshouldactivelycollaboratewithb+lnzgeneticstoensure theirgroupsmaintainconnectednesswiththerestofindustry. AcrossYears Toaccountforenvironmentaldifferencesbetweenyears,alinksireacrossyearsisrequiredto accountfornon.geneticeffects.withoutalinksire,sireteamsineachyearcannotbevalidly compared. SILrecommendsuseof2ormorelinksireseachyearonwhichtherelevanttraitsare measuredinallyearstoconnectacrossyears.thelinksiresshouldhave25ormoreprogeny measuredforthetraitsofinterest.forreproduction,retainingenoughprogenytohave25 daughterswithlambingrecordsiscritical. Acrossmanagementmobs Progenyoflinksiresacrossmanagementmobsareneededtocorrectfordifferencesin feeding,animalhealthandmanagementeffectsonmeasuredperformance.lackof connectednessacrossmobscanresultinunderoroverestimationofgeneticmeritforatraitif mobshavebeentreateddifferently. SILrecommendsspreadingprogenyofsiresacrossmanagementmobsanduseoflargemobs wherepractical, Example:Avoidprogenyofasirebeingisolatedfromotherprogenygroups.Asmallgroup ofewesmatedtoanaisirepriortothemainmatingandlambedseparatelyandearlierthan themainmob.ensuring25(ormore)arenaturallymatedtoasirethatwillalsobeusedinthe mainmobandwillbelambedwiththeaieweswillprovideconnectednessbetweenaiand mainmobsires. BestPracticeGuideforrecordingmanagementgroupsarediscussedfurtheronpage10. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 5
AcrossEweAgeGroups InSILtherearegenerallythreeeweagegroups.hoggets,two.tooths,andmixed.ageewes. Youngerewestendtohavebirthweights,lowerreproductiveperformanceandmilking abilitythanolderewes.toaccountforthisalinksireusedacrosseweagegroupsisrequired toenablecorrectionforthesenon.geneticeffects. Table1:Agoodexampleofacrosseweagegroupconnectedness Year:2016 ProgenyCounts Hogget 2.tooth Mature Total RamA 49 28 60 137 RamB 27 9 74 110 RamC 44 90 46 180 RamD 2 78 49 129 AlthoughRamBhasonly9progenybornto2.toothdamsandRamDhasonly2progenyborn tohoggetdams,allfourramscanbefairlycomparedastheysharebenchmarkswithprogeny borntosimilaragegroups. Table2:Apoorexampleofacrosseweagegroupconnectedness Year:2016 ProgenyCounts Hogget 2.tooth Mature Total RamE 137 137 RamF 55 55 110 RamG 120 60 180 RamH 129 129 RamEistheonlyramusedwithhoggetsandheisnotbenchmarkedwithanyotherrams.He is isolated.similarly,ramhistheonlyusedwithmatureewes,butotherramsarealso benchmarkedwithmatureewesandsohecanbefairlycomparedwithramgandramfbut notrame. SILrecommendsuseof2ormorelinksireseachyearonwhichtherelevanttraitsare measuredinallyearstoconnectacrosseweagegroups.thelinksiresshouldhave25ormore progenymeasuredforthetraitsofinterestin2ormoreagegroups. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 6
2.2UseaccurateIDsystems EachanimalrecordedinSILmusthaveauniqueID.Thepreferredandcommonlyused formatisflock.numericaltag/birthyear(yy);e.g.ananimalborninflock4640withtag number1234bornin2016shouldberepresentedas4640.1234/16 (Note:fullSILIDalsoincludesthebirthyearinfullformat4640.1234/16.2016) Whenananimaltransferstoanewflock,anewcurrentIDmaybeassignedreflectingthenew flock.theformatiscurrentflock.currenttag/birthyear(yy).thisdoesnotchangethebirth IDinformation. SILrecommendsramsalwaysbeidentifiedbytheirbirthIDtoavoidmisidentification. UseofEID Aswellasvisualnumbersontags,animalscanbeuniquelyidentifiedbytheirEID.Thereare generallytwoformats,onewithaspaceafterthefirstthreedigits(987009999543210)or withoutthespace(987009999543210)dependingonwhichbrandofrecordingequipmentis used.silcanaccepteitherformatbutconvertsittothe16.digitformatwithnospaceswithin SIL.Informationcanbeprintedineitherformat. AnEIDcanbeaddedtoanexistinganimalasatraitrecordontheanimalorcanbeusedas theprimaryuniqueidwithdetailsofthebirthflockandyear. Varioustaggingsystemscanbeusedwheretheaimsarelong.termretentionofthetagbythe animalandaccuratereadingbyanoperator.retentionisaddressedbydoubletagging systems.accuratereadinghasbeengreatlyenhancedwiththeadventofelectronicidsand automatedreadingsystems. MethodsforextracheckingofIDsincludeuseofpre.lists.Thisiswherethoseanimals consideredtobeinthemobarelistedinpre.printedfieldnotebooksorinelectronicfilesand senttoelectronicscaleheadunits.usingtheselists,animalsthatappearforassessmentthat arenotonthelistareflaggedforcheckingandsoamisreadtagcanbere.readoranerrorin thatanimal sstatuscanbefixed. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 7
2.3Captureaccuratepedigreeandbirthdate Accurateparentageiscriticallyimportanttothegeneticevaluationsystem.Theanalysis placesalotofemphasisonpedigree(sire,damandothercloserelatives).ithasbeenshown thataround10%ofanimalshavetheirdam,theirsireorbothwrongwhenrecordedby traditionalmethods.thesimplefactisthatyoucannotbepresentforeverymatingand lambingeventtoget100%accuracy Optionsforrecordingparentageinclude Matingrecordsandtaggingatbirth Matingrecords,pregnancyscanningandobservationofmotheringoflambs (uptotailingage) DNAparentage Siretosirelinksareofutmostimportanceinageneticmeritevaluationsystem.DNAtesting ofnewsirescanbeusedtoverifyparentage.somebreedinggroupshavealreadyembraced sirepaternitytestingandhavemadeitmandatoryforallsires.thiswilllifttheaccuracyof theirgeneticevaluationsandsoaccelerategeneticgain. SirepaternitytestsrequireDNAsamplefromtheram,therecordedsireandideallythedam toverifythepedigree. SILrecommendsasBestPracticethatflockstestforSirePaternityofnewsires. WholeFlockDNAParentage(e.g.ShepherdPlus) WholeflockDNAparentagesolutionsrelyonDNAsamplesbeingtakenonallparents involvedatmating.siresinparticulararevitallyimportant,eventhosewhoareidentifiedas backupramsthatatthestartofmating,thatmayormaynotbeused.mostoccurrencesof pedigreeerrorareintroducedatmating,notlambing. DNAsamplesshouldbetakenonallsiresonentryandcheckthatallhaveaDNAsampleon exitofmatingmobs.formajorityofinstancesonlyonesampleperanimalisneededinits lifetime.samplesshouldalsobetakenonrogueramsthatarediscoveredinmobsofewes whetherornottheywerewiththeewesfordaysorhours.allpotentialsiresshouldbedna sampled. EwesthathavenotbeenpreviouslyDNAsampledcanbesampledatvarioustimesthrough theyearbutpregnancyscanningisanobviousopportunity.alllambsarednasampled usuallyatdocking. SILrecommendsyouconsultyourDNAparentageserviceproviderforspecificadvice. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 8
Birthdateandfetalageing Knowingthebirthdateofalambisanimportantpieceofinformationinageneticmerit evaluationsystem.birthdateisusedtocorrectoradjustmanyweightandagerelated performancetraits.lackofanapproximatebirthdatewillresultinoverandunderestimates ofmeritforearlyandlatebornlambs.forflocksthatcloselyshepherdatlambing,birthdate isrelativelyeasytorecord.whennottaggingatbirth,birthdateshouldbeestimatedwithina 10dayperiod.Anumberofstrategiescanbeusedtorefinetheestimatedbirthdate. Recordcycleofconception Useramcrayonmarksandrecordmarksorchangecolourweeklytoidentifyweekof conception. Recordfetalage Employtheservicesofapregnancyscannerwhocanrecordfetalage(FAGE)atpregnancy scanningaswellasthestandardsinglesandmultiples.fetalagecanbeusedtopredictan estimateofthedaysfromconceptionandthereforealikelybirthdate.thisisbestdetermined betweend55andd90ofgestation. Recordlambinggroup Shedun.lambedewesawayfromlambedeweswhenpracticalandupdatefetalage accordingly. 2.4Managesheepaslargermobsandusemobcodes Comparisonsoflargenumbersofanimalsundersimilarconditionsarethebestwayof demonstratingthesuperiorityof better animals.separatingsomeanimalsandrunning theminsmallermobsreducesthequalityofgeneticmeritestimatesastheanimalsarenot beingcomparedwiththefullrangeofvariationthatexists. Whereyouneedtodivideandrunseparatemobsofanimals,makesuretheyarecodedas differentmobs(e.g.mob1&2andhigher)sosilcanremovethemobeffect.thisapproach shouldbeusedwhen similaranimalsareruninseparatemobsforasignificantamountoftime whereagroupofanimalshavebeentreateddifferently whereagroupofanimals performanceareassessedbydifferentoperators. Avoidrandommixing(mobbingup)ofanimalsatalatertime.Forexample,ifyouhavefour mobsuptoweaningandwanttorunjusttwoafterweaning,mergemobs1with2then3with 4,sothattherearestill4groupsofanimalsthathavebeentreatedsimilarly.Otherwise,ifyou randomlymixedtheanimalsbeforethecreationofthetwolatermanagementmobs,there wouldbe8(=4x2)differentcombinationsoftheearlyandlatermobs.thiswouldreducethe sizeofthegroupsthattheevaluationsystemmakescomparisonswithin. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 9
Figure2:Exampleofhowmanagementmobsaccumulatefromweaningtoliveweight8. Thinkofthisfromtheindividualanimal sperspectiveandimaginetheanimalsbeingmarked withraddleforeachdifferentmanagementgroupitisplacedin.theprincipleofthestrategy forminimisingthenumberofmanagementgroupsbythetimeofliveweightat8months (LW8)issimilartothinkingaboutminimisingtheamountofadditionalraddlemarksneeded topreservethewool. Managementmobexample;usingFigure2 Lambsarerunpriortoweaninginthreedifferentmanagementgroups(Red,Blue,Green). Afterweaning,lambsweredraftedintothreemobswithonefedlucerne(Yellow)onefed pasture(purple)andonefedamixtureofboth(orange).animalswerekeptinthesemobstill liveweightat8months(lw8)whentheyweremeasuredbythreedifferentoperators(black, Pink,Brown). Example(i).animalsaremixedrandomlysothatthepossiblecombinationsforindividual animalsis3x3x3(27differentmobcodesbylw8).anindividuallambwouldneedthree raddlemarks(e.g.red.yellow.black)tomatchallthegroupsthatindividualhasbeeninup untillw8. Example(ii).animalsarekeptinthesamemobpre.weaninguptoLW8.Anindividual wouldeitherbered,blueorgreenandadditionalraddlemarksarenotneeded. Red=moboneatwean,fedLucernepostweaningandmeasuredbyoperatorone. Blue=mobtwoatweaning,fedpasturepostweaningandmeasuredbyoperatortwo. Green=mobthreeatweaning,fedamixofLucerneandpasturepostweaningand measuredbyoperatorthree. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 10
Example(iii).animalsfromthefirstweanmobthatwerefedLucerne(Yellow)werekeptin thesamemobtilllw8wasmeasured.animalsfromthethirdweanmob(green)werejoined withthesecondweanmob(blue)andfedpastureandkeptinthatmobtilllw8.again,there areonlythreepossiblecombinationsandnonewraddlemarksareneeded. Red=moboneatwean,fedLucernepostweaningandmeasuredbyoperatorone. Blue=mobtwoatweaning,fedpasturepostweaningandmeasuredbyoperatortwo. Green=mobthreeatweaning,fedamixofpasturepostweaningandmeasuredby operatortwo. SILrecommendsstrategicmergingofmanagementmobsfromweaningtoliveweight8.Fairer comparisonsofanimalperformancewillbeachievedbyavoidingrandomassignmentof animalsintomobs.insteadconsidercombiningallanimalsfromonemobwithanotheror keepinganimalsinthesamemobsallthewaythroughwherepossible. 2.5Measureallanimals Itcanbetemptingtomeasurejustthebetteranimalstosavetimeormoney.However,the superiorityoftheseanimalsisnotshowntobesteffectiftheyareonlycomparedtoother goodanimals.togetthebestestimatesoftruegeneticmerityouneedtocompareanimals againstagroupthatrepresentsthefullvariationinthegroup. Sometimesthisisnotpracticaloristoocostlytodo.Whereyouassessjustsomeanimals, minimisebiasbyincludingacommonmeasurementmadeonallanimalsthatisrelatedtothe measurement(s)youaremakingonjustafew,andwhichisincludedinthegeneticevaluation asapredictortrait. Forexample,allramhoggetsmaybeultrasoundscannedandthebestofthesesentforCT scanning.theevaluationwillusetheultrasoundinformationonallanimalstoadjusttheebvs thatalsousethectscandata. Togetgoodestimatesofmeritonsiresrequires20.25measuredprogeny.Ifyouarenot measuringallanimals,thensiladvisesusingarepresentativepercentageofeachsire(>15%). Weaningweightisoneofthemostimportantmeasurements.Thepresenceofaweanweight isusedtoinformthenumberofanimalspresentatweaningandaccountforcullingand selectiononlaterrecordedtraits.aweightonalllivelambsatweaningisrequired. 2.6Completenessofrecording SILrecommendsallbreedersrecordthekeytraitsintheNewZealandMaternalWorth (NZMW)orNewZealandTerminalWorth(NZTW)indexesasaminimum. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 11
Table3:SubindexesincludedinNZMWandNZTWindexes NewZealandMaternalWorth NewZealandTerminalWorth Reproduction DPR Survival TSS Survival DPS LambGrowth TSG LambGrowth DPG MeatYield TSM AdultSize DPA Wool DPW Eachsubindexhasitsownspecifickeytraitsthatshouldbemeasured(e.g.woolshould measurefleeceweightat12months(fw12),meatrequiresanautumnultrasound measurementofeyemusclewidthanddepthandfatdepth(emw,emd,fd)andan associatedliveweight(lw6/8/10).wheresomekeytraitsarenotrecorded,theevaluationcan stillproduceestimatesofmeritforatraitbutwithloweraccuracyandwithpoorer discriminationfromothertraits.forexample,nzmwincludeslambgrowthandadultsize. Ifnoadultliveweightsarerecorded,theywillbepredictedfromearlyliveweightswithless accuracythanifanactualmeasurementwasrecorded. Table4:Keytraitstobemeasuredwithinproductionsubindexgroups Reproduction Survival Growth AdultSize MeatYield Wool Required Optional WWT WWT WWT WWT WWT NLB NLB LW6/8/10 LW6/8/10 LW6/8/10 LW6/8/10 LWMATE EMW FW12 EMD FD PREGSC LW12 LWSCAN ViaScan LWWEAN CTSCAN Table5:Keytraitstobemeasuredwithinhealthsubindexgroups FacialEczema WormFEC Dag Bareness BCS STAY Required Optional WWT WWT WWT WWT WWT NLB NLB LW6/8/10 LW6/8/10 LW6/8/10 LW6/8/10 LWMATE EMW FW12 EMD FD PREGSC LW12 LWSCAN ViaScan LWWEAN CTSCAN Somehealthtraitshaveprescribedprotocolsthatneedtobefollowed(e.g.FacialEczemaand WormFEC)andbreedersneedtoberegisteredwithSILforthesetraitstobeevaluated.Refer tothesilwebsiteforfurtherinstructions.www.sil.co.nz. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 12
2.7Minimisedatarecordingerrors Theaimshouldbetoemploysystemsthatfacilitateerrorcheckingandallowforcorrection wherethesearedetected,preferablyclosetothetimeandplacetheerrorismade.electronic datacapturewillhelpbecauseiteliminatesmanualrecordingofanimalidandperformance. However,afullelectronicsystemitselfdoesnoteliminateallsourcesoferror.Animalscando thingsthatintroduceerrors,suchastwoanimalswithfeetontheweighscalebaseplate. Non.electronicsystemscanpickupalotoferrors,butrequirethepeopleemployingthemto bevigilantandawareofpossibleerrorsorissuesthatneedtobeaddressed. Wherepractical,checksshouldbeputinplaceforthefollowing; a. Duplicatetags.Useofpre.listsorIDfilesinelectronicsystemshelpeliminatetheseat thetimeofrecording. b. Calibrationofmeasuringequipment.Scalescanbecheckedpriortoweighingusing aknownweight. c. Dataoutsidereasonablelimits.Checksneedtobeinplaceforthelimitsexpectedfora moborforperformancerelativetoapreviousperformancerecord. d. Mismatchofperformancewithvisualassessment.Smallsheepareseldomheavy. andviceversa.animalswithwideeyemusclesusuallyhavedeepeyemuscles. e. Expectedanimalsnotpresent.Fatesandstatusesshouldbeupdated. f. Unexpectedanimalspresent wastagmisreadorhasthatanimalbeenmistakenly fatedas notpresent.deadanimalscanbe resurrected. g. Wrongsex oftenanimaltagpositionindicatessex,buterrorscanoccurattagging. Whereananimalhasthewrongsex,thisneedstobeupdatedand,ifnecessary,the animalneedstobemovedtothecorrectmanagementgroup. h. Minimiseoreliminatethenumberoftimesdataishandledbyahuman.This includesdatacollection,transcriptiontosheetsfordataentrybyanotherpartyand dataentryontothecomputer. Itisworthnotingthatdataentryisaskilledjobwhichinvolvescarryingoutchecksaspartof theprocess.silhelpsthisbyprovidingtoolstoflagerrorsandtosummarisedata.these summariescanbeusedtodetectsometypesofdataerror.thesooneradataerrorisdetected, theeasieritistocorrect.insomecases,itmaynotbepossibletoidentifythesourceofthe errorandsosettingdatato missing ratherthansupplyinganunreliabledatapointmaybe thebestoption. 2.8EnterdataontoSILinatimelymanner Geneticevaluationscannotbenefitfromdatathatisnotavailable.Withthenational evaluationnowincludingallflocks,datashouldbeenteredontosilinatimelymannerso regularevaluationsalwayshaveaccesstothelatestdata.moderndatacapturesystemsmake thisaloteasiertoachievethanpreviously.bestpracticewillseedataaddedtosilwithin10 workingdaysofthedatabeingcompleted. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 13
2.9Maindatatypesandtheircharacteristics a. ID,Parentageandpedigree Parentageisthebuildingblockforpedigree.SIL constructspedigreefromidinformationontheparentageofindividuals.italsoconstructs somederivedtraitslikelittersizefromparentagedata. b. Fatesandstatuses Theseareusedtorecordwhathappenedtoananimalatsomestage ofitslife.itmayimpactonitscurrentstatus(presentorabsent)ortellushowitwas differenttootherse.g.progenyofaisire,rearedbyafostereweorthatitwasanetewe. Constantvigilancewithfatesandstatusesisneededandcanbereadilyupdatedfollowing observationinthefieldforanimalsyoudonotexpecttoseebutdoaswellasanimals expecttoseebutdonot.matingisagoodtimetoupdateliveanimalstatusformatingpre. lists. c. Measurements Thesearemeasuresofperformance,usuallyonacontinuousscale.They areusuallyweights,linearorareadimensions,andmostoftencollectedbya machine e.g.weighscales,ultrasoundorctscanner.testthescaleweighaccuracywithknown weightbeforestarting(e.g.waterfilleddrenchedcontainers,tractorweights) d. Scores Theseareassessedbyatrainedoperatorandrelatetoadefinedscalethatis picturedordescribedinsimpleterms.examplesarebodyconditionscore(bcs)ordag score.typically,thisinformationismanuallyrecordedormanuallyenteredontoadata capturedevice.scoresusuallyexhibitsomedegreeofoperatorbias.forthisreason,when morethanoneoperatorisemployedtocollectsuchdata,operatorsshouldbeidentifiedby different mobcodes. e. Counts Thismaybeforlownumberrangeslikenumberoflambsorhighernumberslike faecaleggcounts. f. Derivedtraits Thesearetraitsderivedfromotherperformanceandpedigreedatainthe SILdatabase.Forexample,survivalisderivedfromthenumberoflambsbornperewe andthepresence/absenceofaweaningweightforthoselambs.sometimesdataerrorsin componenttraitsareonlydetectedwhenthesetraitsarederived. AkeypartofperformanceassessmentislinkingIDwithrecordedperformance. Highqualitydatainvolvesusingroutinechecksfordataconsistency.Simplecheckslike maximum/minimums,averagesandthestandarddeviation(ameasureofaveragevariability) canpickupmanyerrors. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 14
3.Reproduction;Adult 3.1Naturalmating Why Matingisakeyevent.Althoughmatingdataisnotdirectlyusedforgeneticevaluation,itcan beusefultotroubleshootforerrorsinassigningparentageforlambsby;(i)recordingtheidof ramsmatedwithasinglesire(mram)orsiregroup(mategp)or;(ii)recordingthemating periodincludingramintroduction(mdate)andremoval(mgpexit). When Ramsaretypicallyintroducedtoewesfor2.5cycles(=45days)intheautumn. SILallowsforramintroductionatanytimeofyearandforanylengthoftime,therefore specifyingthematingdatesandmatingregime(singlesire,oragroupofsires)isneeded. How Whentheram(s)areintroducedtotheewes,recordMATEGPandMDATEforallewesand rams.forassistingpedigreeassignment,itisrecommendedtorecordthedateofram removal(mgpexit)attheendofmating. Record Multiplesiremating(requiredforDNAparentage) MATEGP;forewesandram(s)whenmultiplesiresweregroupedtogetherat mating. MDATE datetheramswereintroducedtotheewes. MGPEXIT recordedonewesandramsonthedatetheyareremoved. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 15
3.2Pregnancyscanningandfetalaging Why Determiningthenumberoffetusestheewecarriesisarecommendedmanagementtoolfor providingappropriatefeedforewescarryingsingle,twinandtriplet(ormore)lambs.italso providesameasureofnumberoflambsbornandlambsurvivalforflocksthatarenottagging lambsatbirth(e.g.un.shepherdedatlambing,ortagginglambsuptotailingage)orwhich relysolelyondnaforidentifyingparentage.pregnancyscanninginformationcanalsobe usedwhenlambinginformationismissing(e.g.abortion). When Skilledoperatorscandetectpregnancyasearlyasday30ofgestationbutidentifyingthe numberoffoetuses,particularlytwinsversustriplets,isoptimalbetweendays70and90of gestation.consultwithyouroperatorforspecificadviceontimingforbestaccuracy. How ForDNAparentageflocks,fetalage(FAGE)mustalsobedeterminedatpregnancyscanning whichistheestimatednumberofdayssinceconceptionatthetimeofpregnancyscanning. BeawarethatpregnancyscanningoperatorsthatmeasureFAGEeffectivelywillneedextra time.wherepractical,extraaidsfordeterminingthe10daywindowofbirthdateissuchas ramcrayonchangesatmatingandsheddingoutduringlambingcanbeusedtoimprovethe accuracyofdateofbirthestimation. Record PREGSCpereweasdry(0),single(1),twin(2),ortriplet(3) Includedateofmeasurement Ifmorethanonescanner,useadifferentmobcodeforeachscanner. FAGEastheestimatednumberofdaysfromconceptionatthetimeofpregnancyscan. Itisessentialtoenterrecordsfordry(non.pregnant)ewes(PREGSC=0)onSIL. Table6:Anexampleofgoodandpoorpracticeforrecordingpregnancyscanning. difference# difference#of# 15#ewes from#average 15#ewes average dry 5 31 3 0 single twin 5 5 0 +1 10 5 30.5 +0.5 Average 100%#lambing 150%#lambing Bynotrecordingthedryewestheaverageisoverestimatedat150%makingeweswith singlesbelowaveragewhiledryewesaretreatedasaverageandappearbetterthansingles. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 16
4.Reproduction;Hogget 4.1HoggetFertility Why Producinglambsinthefirstyearoflifeisapredictoroffertilityasanadultewe.However, pregnancyandrearinglambsisasignificantchallengetotheyoungewewhilesheisstill growing.hoggetlambingcanhaveanimpactonanumberoftraitsincludingadultsizesoit needstoberecordedinawaythattheappropriateadjustmentsinsilcanbeapplied. When Althoughindividualfarmpracticesmayvary,atypicalperiodformatinghoggetsis1.5cycles starting4weeksafterthematureewes.pregnancyscanning(betweenday35and90of gestation)shouldbecarriedouttodeterminepregnancystatusforhoggetfertility(hfer)and numberoffoetusespresentforhoggetfecundity(hnlb).inflockswherecloseshepherding atlambingispossible,thenumberoflambsborncouldalsoberecorded. How Introducematureramstoewehoggets1:70(1ramto70ewehoggets).Useoframhoggets withewehoggetsisnotrecommendedastheycanbelesssuccessfulatmating. Itisrecommendedthatallmatedhoggetsarepregnancyscanned.Experienceshowsthat some unmarkedewes canbepregnantandtheconsequencesofpregnancyforahoggetare considerable.silevaluationsthatincludehnlbalsoneedtoknowthelittersizeaewe hoggetiscarrying. Itisessentialtorecordpregnancyscanningresultsforallmatedhoggets,includingthosethat arenotpregnant(pregsc=0). Record Recordallhoggetsputtotheram. Autumnliveweight(LW8/LW10whichisequivalenttoLWMATEinadultewes. BCScannotbeaccuratelyrecordedforhoggetsatmating. PREGSC,includerecordsformated(i.e.thoseexposedtotheram)withdryhoggets=0. SILwillautomaticallygenerateamissingvalueforPREGSCofallunmatedhoggets. EXITFATEforhoggetsthatareculledbasedonhoggetperformance(e.g.dryhoggets) B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 17
Additionalrecords Additionalrecordscouldincludethefollowing,butarenotcurrentlypartofhoggetfertilityor laterreproductionevaluations: HNLBatlambingaswellasBWTandWWToflambprogeny. Weightofhoggetsatlambing(LW12)andweaning(LWWEAN).Fortheseweight measurements,hoggetsthatwere notmated or matedbutnotpregnant and matedandpregnant needtoberecordedasseparatemanagementgroups. Bestpracticeforhoggetlambing:see Hogget'performance:'Unlocking'the'potential availableas apdfatwww.beeflambnz.com. Type hoggetperformance intothesearchboxandfilterbydocuments. Example: Whenrecordinghoggetlambingtherearethreecommonscenarios; a) Alllambsrecordedaliveanddead(i.e.conventionaltaggingatbirth) b) Onlysomeofthelambsaretaggedatbirthandsubsequentlyrecorded c) Nolambstaggedatbirthorsubsequentlyrecorded. Forscenarioa).followstandardrecordingpractices. Forscenariob);aDFATEofX(multiplierewe)onthehoggetandaBFATEofX(multiplier lamb)onthelambisrequired.thisindicatesincompleterecordingforreproductionand survival,flaggingthatinformationshouldnotbeusedforsurvivalanalysis. Forscenarioc).aDFATEofU(lambedunrecordedprogeny)shouldbeused. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 18
5.Survival Why Currently,simplesurvivaldata(presentatbirthandalive/deadbyweaning)isusedintheSIL geneticevaluation.noothervariablesareusedtopredictlambsurvivalbvs. When LambIDshouldhavebeenmatchedwithdamIDatlambingorbyDNAparentagethrough taggingandcollectingatissuesampleatdocking.forflocksthatshepherdatlambingand supplythenumberoflambsborn(snlb),deadlambsmustberecordedtogetanaccurate measureoflamblossesaroundthistime.fordnaparentageflocksthenumberoflambsthe ewecarries(effectivelynlb)isinformedbythelittersizeatpregscwithlambsmissingat dockingassumedtohavediedsincelambing.theaccuracyofshepherdplusmeansthatitis veryunlikelyaewewillbeassignedmorelambsfromthoseatweaningthanshewasscanned with itismorelikelythatsuchdisparitiesareduetoerrorsincountingthenumberof foetusesatscanning. How Forflocksthatshepherdatlambing; Lambstaggedatbirthwithvisualtagsand/orEIDtags.Deadlambsshouldbeassigneda uniqueid,althoughanactualtagisnotrequired.recorddamfate(dfate)andlambbirth fate(bfate)codes refertableone.thedataevaluationrequiresauniqueidevenfordead lambs. Forflocksthatareun.shepherdedatlambing; DNAsamplesshouldbetakenfromalllambsattailingsothatparentageresultsarelikelyto beavailableforusebyweaningtime.tissuesamplingunits(tsu)andahole.punchdevice, orpairedtsusalreadypairedwithrfidtagscanbepurchasedfromyourtag(e.g.allflex)or DNAserviceprovider(e.g.Zoetis).Noteitisrecommendedtosampleallpossiblesiresat matingandun.testeddamsatpregnancyscanningtoensureallpotentialparentsofprogeny haveadnaprofileforaccurateparentageassignment. YourDNAserviceproviderwillbeabletogiveyouinstructionsonhowtolinktissuesample IDwithanimalIDaspartoftheirservice. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 19
Record Shepherdedatlambingflocks LambID(Birthflock.Birthtag/Birthyearand/orEIDtag)matchedtoDamID. Dateofbirth(DOB),numberoflambsborn(NLB) Lambfatecodes(BFATE)andforewes,damfatecodes(DFATE)andEXITFATES forewes/lambsleavingtheflockduetoreasonssuchascullingordeath. Relevantcomments(REMARK) Birthweight(BWT)canberecorded,butcurrentlythisisnotincludedinSIL evaluations. Pregnancyscandataisusedtoderivelittersize(NLB)forthelambingofaeweand consequentlybirthrankofherlambs.however,youcanrecordanactuallittersizeaswell andrequestyourbureautoenterthisas SNLB whichwilloverridethederivednlbvalue. EssentialextrainformationforLambSurvivalisbirthfate(BFATE)codes.Theseareusedto determineifalambdiedbeforeorsurvivedtoweaning.somebfatecodesareusedtocredit therightdamforalamb ssurvival(e.g.afosteredlambfatecode). Duetocompatibilitywithhistoricalrecordingsystems,thereareanumberofdifferentcodes thatcodealambasdied.silgroupsthesesuchthatthesurvivalcalculationsaresimplybased onwhetheraknownlambisdeadoraliveatweaning. Thefateofthedam,forewesthataretobeculledorthatfosteralamb,shouldberecorded underdfate. Iftheeweexitstheflockatoraroundlambing,anEXITFATEshouldberecorded.Notethat theexitcodeisnotthesamethingasadfate.yourbureaucanprovideadviceonhowto efficientlyrecordthetwovariables. Fullsetsoflambfatecodes(BFATE),damfatecodes(DFATE)andeweexitcodes(EXITFATE) areavailablefromyoursilserviceprovider.ewescanbegivenmorethanonedfatei.e. AIandaborted=AT,andlambsmorethanoneBFATEi.e.AIandborndead=LJ B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 20
Table7;ListofLambFateCodes(BFATE)andEweFateCodes(DFATE) LambFateCodes=BFATE EweFateCodes=DFATE Fatecodedescription Fatecodedescription E ETprogeny A AIdam F Fostered B Barren H Hand.reared C Fostermother J Borndead D ETdonor J3 Diedwithin3daysofbirth(autopsy) G Assisted K Diedbetweenbirthandrearing N Notmated L AIprogeny O NaturalMating M Diedmisadventure P Penmated P Borndead.Premature(autopsy) R ETrecipient R Borndead.Rotten(autopsy) S Screenedinewe X Multiplierlamb T Aborted 1 Diedbetweenrearingandweaning U Lambed,unrecordedprogeny 4 Culledatbirth(alivebutnottagged) X Multiplierewe Y Multipleramjoininggroup B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 21
6.LambGrowth 6.1Lambweaningweight(WWT) Why Liveweightofthelambatweaningisthemeasureofgrowthduetoalamb sownpotential, itsmother spotentialandothereffects.weusethisdatatoestimatelamb(direct)andewe (maternal)geneticeffects(wwtandwwtmebv).weaningweightisapredictorfora numberofothertraitsandtoaccountforselectivecullingforlaterrecordedtraits.itis essentialalllambsarerecordedatweaning When Weaningistypicallyat10.12weeksofagebutitiscommontoweanearlierorlaterthanthis, particularlywhengrassgrowthdemandsthisforgoodpasturemanagement.animalsneed tobetreatedinawaythatisconsistentwithinmob.avoidmeasuringsomedirectlyoff pastureandsomeseveralhourslaterwhenpartofthesamemanagementgroup. Birthdate(actualorestimatedfromFAGEatscanning)isusedtoadjustweaningweight. Allanimalswithinamanagementmobmustbemeasuredonthesameday.Foranimals assessedondifferentdays,theremaybeeffectsthatoccurbetweenthetwotimepointsthat advantageonegrouprelativetoanother,andsimplyadjustingforbirthdatewillnottake thiseffectout. How Weighalllambs,minimisingtimetheyareoffpasture. Record Date WWTforlambs Managementgroupsifmanageddifferentlyintheprecedingperiod. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 22
Exampleofcorrectmanagementgroupuse MobrecordingisVERYimportant.Ifgroupshavebeenmanagedseparatelysothatthere maybeafeed/managementdifferencebetweenmobs,theyshouldberecordedasseparate mobs. Mobcodes EwelambsandramlambsaretreatedasdifferentmobsinSIL,soamobcodedoesn tneed tobespecifiedonthebasisofsex.onlyanimalsinthesamemanagementgroupcanbe compareddirectly.thesearecalleda contemporarygroup andhaveexperiencedthesame feedandconditions.themobcodessetupthe contemporarygroups foralltraits,notjust growthtraits,soit simportanttocorrectlyidentifydifferentmanagementgroups. Weaningsetstheinitialmobcodeforanindividualinananalysis afterthat,mobsare cumulative.forexample;therearethreemobsuptoweaning,andafterweaningtheram lambsarerunintwomobstolw6.bycombiningtheweaningandlw6mobsthereare6 possiblecontemporarygroupsfortheramlambs 11,12,21,22,31and32(WWTmob followedbylw6mob). Wheneverpractical,whencombiningmobsafterweaningtrytocombinewholemobs. E.g.intheexampleabovealllambsinpre.weaningmobs1and2werecombinedtomake oneofthelw6mobsandthesecondlw6mobisallofpre.weaninggroup3(possiblythe laterbornlambs). Geneticlinkbetweenmobs Thereshouldbeageneticlink(oneormoresireswithprogenyacrossthedifferentmobs) betweenmobstoallowforthecalculationoftheappropriatemobcorrection.anexampleof isolatedmobscouldbeanoutsidesirematedtosomeewesbeforetheusualmatingtime,or AIewesrunseparatelyatlambingfromotherewes.ThismeansSILcannotaccurately separatemobfromsireeffects. Toomanysmallcontemporarygroupscancreateissues Havingmanysmallcontemporarygroupscancreateissuesinthegeneticevaluationif groupshaveverysmallnumbers,ortherearenolinksbetweenthegroups.toavoid creatingmanysmallcontemporarygroups,considerwhenafeedormanagementdifference maywarrantaseparatemobcodeandwhengroupsofanimalshaveexperiencedsimilar conditionsandcouldhavethesamemobcode.forexample;lambingthroughtoweaningon hillpaddocksversusflatswouldwarrantseparatemobcodes,butonehillblockversus another,whichissimilar,maynot. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 23
SILselectionobjectives Selectionforfastgrowinglambsfavoursgeneticsthatproducelargeewesasadults.This hasimplicationsforflockfeedrequirementsaslargerewesgenerallyeatmore.silselection objectivesformaternalsheeparedesignedtofavouranimalsthatproducelargefast. growingoffspringforagivensizeofewe.yougetabetterindexbyhavinglowerthan expectedewesizeforagivenlambgrowthpotential,orfasterlambgrowthpotentialfora givenewesize. Measuringliveweight(LW)andbodyconditionscore(BCS) Forewes,itispreferabletomeasureLWandBCS(LWWEAN&BCSWEAN)duringthe weeklambsareremoved,butitisacceptabletorecordtheseupto3weekslater. Liveweightandconditionofewesatweaningwillonlycontributetogeneticevaluationof adultsizeiflwmateandbcsmatehavenotbeenmeasured.however,thereisinterest intheextenttowhichewesthatchangelwandbcsalotduringtheseasonaremoreorless productive,orlastlongerorshortertimesintheflock.measuringlwandbcsoftheewes atweaningmayhelpinvestigationsinthisarea. Weighandconditionscoreallewes,thiscanbestraightoffpasture(fullweight)orfollowing 24hourswithoutfeed(emptyweight).Considercodingewesonthebasisofhowlongthey areoffpasture.therecanbebigdifferencesbetweenewesstraightoffpastureandthose heldandemptyingoutfor3.4hours. Bestpracticeistomeasureweaningweightoflambsasthepriorityonthedayofweaning, andewesatatimewhenyoucanminimisevariationinthetimetheyhavebeenheldoff pasture. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 24
6.2Autumnliveweight(LW6,LW8,orLW10) Why Liveweightmeasuredinautumnisthekeymeasureofpost.weaninglambgrowth.This liveweightmeasureisusuallyassociatedwithultrasoundscanningandisalsousedto derivemeatyieldebvs. When TheSILLambGrowthevaluationanalysisusesjustoneliveweightmeasurement,eitherat 6months(LW6),8months(LW8)or10months(LW10)dependingonwhichoccasionhad moreanimalsmeasuredinamob. Notethisliveweightisrelevantforbothmalesandfemales.Itisacceptabletoonlyrecord oneoftheseliveweightsforewesandoneforrams,andultrasoundscanningisdoneat,or closeto,thesametime. Ultrasoundscanningofeyemuscleandfatoccurforbothsexes.Inlargeflocks,itis sufficienttomeasurejustrams,butinsmallflocksitisrecommendedthatewesarealso measuredtogetsufficientprogenymeasuredpersire.moredetailisgiveninthesectionon MeatYield. How Weighallanimals.Preferablyallanimalsshouldbemeasuredonthesameday,otherwiseas closeaspracticablewiththeuseofmanagementcodesasitisnotappropriatetoweigh animalsonseparatedatesiftheyareofthesamemanagementgroup. Record DateandliveweightforLW6,LW8orLW10. Managementgroups(mobcode)ifmanageddifferentlyintheprecedingperiod. REMEMBER:Ifyoumeasureautumnliveweightmultipletimes,thegeneticevaluationwill usethemeasurementwiththegreaternumberofanimalsmeasured. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 25
6.3Eweadultsizeandbodyconditionscore Why Measuringliveweight(LW)andbodyconditionscore(BCS)willhelpdetermineewe s maintenancefeedcostsandgeneticpotentialtoholdcondition. When FormanagementpurposesitcanbevaluabletomeasureBCS,andadjustfeedaccordingly, atmultipletimesoftheyear(premating,mating,pregnancyscan,lambing,andweaning). ForgeneticevaluationpurposesweneedatleastonerecordofeweBCSper(annumwitha liveweightrecordedatthesametime. BestpracticeistomeasureLWandBCSofewesatmating(LWMATE/BCSMATE).More preciseestimatesofmeritcomefrommeasuringthesetraitsinallewes,everyyearatthis time.theidealtimetorecordthesemeasurementsisclosetothebeginningofmatingbutit isacceptabletomeasurethemupto3weekseithersideoframintroduction. Optional;BCSandeweliveweightmeasuredmultipletimesintheyearmaybeusedin futureresearchtodeterminewhetherewesthatfluctuateinbcsand/orlwaremore productiveorlastlongerthanewesthatmaintainbcsand/orlw,andwhatgenetic advantagethereistosuchpatternsofchange. How Weighallanimals. AssessBCSintherange1to5with0.5incrementsatthesametimeasliveweight.Notethat BCSdatawithoutanassociatedLWisnotusedtopredicttheBCSBV.Youmusthaveboth collectedatthesametime. GuidelinesonhowtoassessBCScanbefoundontheB+LNZwebsite(beeflambnz.com). Type bodyconditionscore intothesearchboxandfilterbydocuments.asimple summaryisgivenbelow WherepossibleuseoneBCSassessorperfarm.Recordeachassessorasaseparatemobcode whenmultiplebcsassessorsareused. Record B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 26
7.MeatYield 7.1Liveanimalmeasurements Ultrasound(EMA)andCTscanning(CTSCAN) Why Productionofmeatisamajorsourceofincomefromsheepfarming.Thereareseveral scanningtechnologiesthatcancurrentlybeusedtopredictmeatweightandyieldinlive animalsandhavethedatausedinsilgeneticevaluations,namelyultrasoundand computedtomography(ct)scanning. Ultrasoundscanningisrelativelyinexpensiveonaperanimalbasisandcanbedoneon farm,butisonlymoderatelyaccurateatpredictingtheweightofmeatandfatinthecarcass. CTscanningisveryaccurate,butisexpensivetomeasureandanimalsmusttraveltospecial facilitiestobeevaluated.bothcanbeusedinbreedingprogrammestoimprovemeatyield. Bestpracticeguideforbotharegivenbelowtooutlinehowgeneticprogresscanbe maximisedwhileminimisinginvestmentinscanning. When Theaimistoevaluateanimalsatatimeandliveweightsimilartonormalslaughterageand weight.thebesttimetoultrasoundandctscanisatoraroundthesametimeasautumn liveweightismeasured.latermeasurements(e.g.thefollowingspring)willincreasethe differencesbetweenanimals,butthereisnoguaranteethattheanimalshavenotchanged rankingthroughthewinter. How Ultrasoundscanningprovidesmoderateaccuracyofpredictionforindividualanimals,so breedingvalueaccuracyisgreatlyimprovedbyscanningmanyanimals.ultimately breederswilldecidehowmuchinvestmenttheyarewillingtomakeintoultrasound scanning,sothefollowingprinciplesapplytomaximizethereturnonthatinvestment. Scanasmanyramlambsaspossible.Ifaselectionoframlambsisscannedtosave costs,thenthetoprankedramlambs(basedonbreedingvalues)shouldbescanned, butwithallsirelinesgettingsimilarrepresentation(i.e.scanasimilarnumberof ramsfromeachsireline). Uptoanadditional30%geneticprogresscanbemadebyultrasoundscanningewe lambs.ifewelambsarescanned,thenthereshouldbesimilarrepresentationacross sirelines,andselectionforscanningshouldbeonthebasisofperformance(basedon breedingvalues) B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 27
WithCTscanning,meatyieldismeasuredveryaccurately,butatahighcost.Bestpractice forcosteffectiveuseofctscanninginvolvesthepracticeoftwo.stageselection.thisis whereanimalsascreenedusingultrasoundscanningtofindthetoprankedanimals,and thenonlyctscanningthetopgrouptogivethebestrankingoftheseeliterams.the proportionoframstoctscanagaindependsontheinvestmentabreederiswillingtomake. Bestpracticeistoscanbetween5and10%oframlambseachyear.Thereislittleadditional economicbenefitinctscanningmorethan15%oframlambs,andverylittlebenefitfrom scanninglessthan5%oframlambs.whateverpercentagescanned,breedersshouldtryand balancenumbersfromeachsireline. Record UltrasoundEyeMuscle EMD Eyemusclediameter(cm) EMW Eyemusclewidth(cm) FD Fatdepth(mm)directlyoverthepointwhereEMDismeasured Therearesomedifferencesbetweenscanneroperatorsintheultrasoundscanningsite. Consistencyofmeasurementsitewithinaflockismoreimportantthanwheretheactual measurementsiteislocated,i.e.itisbestnottochangethemeasurementsiteonceitis establishedinaflock.ifmorethanonescanneroperatorisused,aseparatemanagement codeshouldberecorded. CTScan HQLY HindQuarterLeanYield SQLY ShoulderQuarterLeanYield LQLY LoinQuarterLeanYield FATY FatYield LEANY LeanYield Cross.sectionviewoftheloinasisscanned byultrasound: AisEyeMuscleWidth(EMW) BisEyeMuscleDepth(EMD) CisFatDepth(FD) B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 28
7.2Measurementspostslaughter;Carcassweight(CW)andVIAscan Why Actualcarcassweightandmeatyieldmeasurementsatslaughterarethemost accurateinformationondollarvalueofprogenyproducedandisdirectlyrelevantto paymentscommercialbreederswillreceive.however,bestpracticewouldrequire measurementofanunbiasedsample,asisachievedbykillingallprogeny(orall maleprogeny)inprogenytestsituations.cwandviascaninformationoncull animalscanstillbeofvalueiftheseprinciplesarefollowed. How In2016,theonlyslaughtermeasurementsthathavebeencalibratedforinclusionin meatyieldevaluationareviascanmeasurementsfromalliance.researchin developingcalibrationofadditionalmeatprocessormeasurementsofmeatyield (calibratingtoctscanmeasurements)iscurrentlyunderwayandexpectedtobe useableby2018. Ideally,toassessmeatyieldmeritofsires,themajority(>80%)ofprogenyshouldbe measuredontheonedate.carcassweightandmeatyieldinyounganimalsis particularlysensitivetodifferencesinage,nutrition,genderandgeneral managementpriortoslaughterandsoattentiontorecordingaccuratemanagement groupsisvital. When Assessinggeneticmeritisbestservedwhenanimalsaremostvariable.Carcass weightandmeatyieldisalsobestassessedwhenprogenyhavehadtimetoexpress theirownmeritseparatetothematernalenvironment.forthesereasons,carcass weightandmeatyieldmeasurementsarerecommendedtobetakenaround4to6 weekspostweaning. Record Carcassweight(hotorcold)CW VIAscanmeasurements VSCWT VSLEG VSLOIN VSSHLD VIAscanCarcassWeight VIAscanLegYield VIAscanLoinYield VIAscanShoulderYield VSMOB VIAscanMob B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 29
8.Wool 8.1BareBelly+BareBreech Why Adesiretoselectanimalsthatarebarearoundthepointsandbellyisvaluabletoreduce crutchingcostsandreducetendencytoproducedags. When Barenessofwoolfromthebreechcanbemeasuredrelativelyeasilyaroundthetimeof weaning.itcouldalsobeassessedwheneitherdag3ordag8isbeingmeasuredwhereas assessingbellybarenessmayfitbestwithcrutchinglambsovertheboardorshearingof ewesatfw12.repeatmeasurementsarenotrequired. How Thedateandscore(1.5)foreachindividualanimalshouldberecordedunderthe appropriatetraitnames(below)relativetoageofmeasurement.again,notingmanagement groupssuchasmob,operatorandwhetherthesomeanimalshavebeencrutchedwithinthe previous6weeksshouldbenoted. Record BellyBareness BBELLY asalamb=preferredrecord. BBELLY18 at18months BBELLYMA atmixedage Breechbareness BBREECH asalamb=preferredrecord BBREECH18 at18months BBREECHMA atmixedage Breechbarenessscore Bellybarenessscores B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 30
8.2Wool;Fleeceweightandfibrediameter Why WoolvalueindexisestimatedfromLambfleeceweight(LFW),hoggetfleeceweight(FW12) andadultfleeceweight(efw)measuredannually.woolfibrediameter(fdia)canalsobe usedbysomeevaluationsformid.micronandfinerwool. When Hoggetfleeceweightisamorereliablepredictorofgeneticmeritforwoolproductionthan lambfleeceandispreferredforbestpractice.hoggetfleeceweightistypicallymeasured whentheanimalisat12monthsofage(fw12). How Woolvalueindexisestimatedfromhoggetfleeceweight(FW12).IfFW12isnotmeasured, itcanbepredictedfromlambfleeceweightat6months(fw6)ifavailable.woolfibre diameter(fdia)andcleanfleeceweight(cfw12)arealsoincludedintheevaluationif available. FDIAismeasuredbytakingsmallsamplesfromthesideorfleeceofasheepandis measuredwithaportableinstrumentsuchasanofda2000(opticalfibrediameter Analyser);oramobileinstrumentsystemcalledaFleecescan. Record LFW LambFleeceWeight FW12 FleeceWeightat12months(mostcommon) EFW AdultEweFleeceWeight FDIA FibreDiameter Managementgroupsifmanageddifferentlyintheprecedingperiod Aslongasallanimalsaretreatedthesame,itdoesnotmatterwhetheranimalsareshornas lambsorlambedashoggetsetc.priortothemeasurement.ifanimalshavebeentreated differentlypriortorecordingfleeceweight,amanagementgroupshouldberecorded. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 31
9.HealthTraits 9.1DagScore Why Removalofdagsisacostlyandbothersomeexerciseforfarms.Identifyinganimalswitha tendencytoproducelessdagsishighlyvalued.dagscore(0=nodagsand5=heavydags). Note:dagginessmaybeduetosensitivitytofeedchanges,consistencyoffecalmatterandis notdirectlyrelatedtoparasiteresistanceorresilience.theeconomicweightingreflectsthe savingsmadewithreduceddaggingandcrutching. When RecordDagScoreontwooccasions; DAG3occursafterweaning(Dec.Feb). DAG8occursattheautumnliveweight(Mar.May)withLW8preferred. How Thereisnoneedtoavoiddrenchinginordertoseriouslychallengesheeptoscour.Inorder togetthebestdiscriminationforgeneticmeritfordagscore,weshouldaimtogetabout 50%ofsheepwithaDagScoregreaterthanzero.Thefirstopportunityisatweaning (DAG3)whentypicallylambshaveNOTbeencrutchedordrenchedpriortobeing measured.thenextopportunityisatautumnliveweight(dag8)whereithastypically beensometimesinceanimalshavebeendrenchedordagged.youcancrutchanddrench sheepafterscoringthem. Record Date,Operator(ifmorethanone) DAG3;DagScoreat3months(weaning) DAG8;DagScoreat8months(hogget) ManagementGroupsifmanageddifferentlyintheprecedingperiod Commonexamplesofmanagementgroupsforthistraitarewhethersome,butnotall,lambs werecrutchedordrenchedduringtheperiodwhendagsdeveloped.ifuncertainplease speaktoyoursilbureau. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 32
9.2WormFEC recordingforparasiteresistance ThisisarestrictedtraitthatyouwillneedtoregisterwithSILandfollowtheprescribed WormFECprotocol.DetailsabouthowtoregistercanbefoundontheSILwebsite. Presentedhereisanoverviewofthemeasurementsinvolved. Why Measuringhowresilientanimalsaretoafaecaleggcount(FEC)challenge,orhowresistant theyaretoallowingtheeggstodeveloparetwotraitsofhighvaluetotheindustry,to reducetherelianceonanthelminticsforsupportinglambgrowth. When TheFECtestiscarriedoutinAutumn.Thetestisbestmeasuredwhenthemajorityof animalsareexpectedtoexperienceawormchallenge,whichtypicallystartsfourweeksafter weaning.thewormburdenmaybeallowedtodevelopover6weeksbeforedrenching.for femalelambs,considertheamountoftimeavailableforlambstorecoverintimeforhogget matingifthisistooccur. How Mostoraldrenchfamiliesaresuitable(Levamisole,Ivomecetc.)butnotCydectin. GeneraltechnicaladvicecanbefoundontheTechionGroupwebsite: www.techiongroup.co.nz/products/fecpak Note:Autumnliveweightshouldbemeasuredbeforethistest. Mob(faecal(sampling'6'Collectfreshfaecalsamplesexpectedtobefrom30different individualanimals(~1teaspoonperanimal)whichcanbecollectedfrommobsintheyards orcorneringmobsinthefield. Individual(stool(sampling(8Collectfreshstooldirectlyfromanimalintheyards(~1dessert spoonperanimal) Base(Challenge.Collectmobfaecalsampleatatimewhenawormchallengeisexpected andshouldbemorethan500eggspercount(epc).ifnot,delaytheeffectivenesstestuntil thenaturalchallengeisgreater.drenchallanimals. Effectivenessofdrench sample8.10daysafterdrenchingandepcshouldbezero.ifnot, consultwithyourvettoinvestigatewhetheryouhavedrenchresistanceandanotherdrench familyisrequired. ( ( ( B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 33
Challenge(test.Samplethemobweeklyandallowtheaveragewormburdentobuildupto atleast800epc(eggspercount)whichcanbeexpectedtotakearound6weekstooccur. Sampleeightfemalelambspersireindividually(orallanimalsifpreferred)recordingEIDto eachsample(barcodingofsamplesisadvisable)andsendsampletotestinglaboratory(eg Techion).Drenchanimalsasnormalaftertest. SILrecommendstestingbetween20(minimum)and30(ideal)progenypersirelinetogive anaccuraterepresentationofthebreedingvalueofeachsire. Record Testanimalsonlyonce,buttherearetwooptionsbasedonthetimingofthetest. FEC1 faecaleggcountpriortomarch preferredtime. FEC2 faecaleggcountaftermarch Managementgroupsifmanageddifferentlyintheprecedingperiod. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 34
9.3Facialeczema(FE) RamGuard ThisisarestrictedtraitthatyouwillneedtoregisterwithSILandfollowtheprescribed RamGuardprotocol.DetailsabouthowtoregistercanbefoundontheSILwebsite. Presentedhereistheoverviewofthemeasurementsinvolved. Why FacialEczema,(FE)isadiseasethatmainlyaffectsruminantssuchascattle,sheep,deer,and goats.itiscausedbythefunguspithomyces'chartarumwhichrequireswarmhumidweather withnighttimetemperaturesofover13 C(55 F)forseveraldays,anddeadmatteratthe bottomoftheswardforrapidgrowth.thesporesofthefungusreleasethemycotoxin Sporidesminwhichaffectstheanimal sgastrointestinaltractcausingablockageinthebile ductsthatleadstoliverdamage.elevatedlevelsofggtinthebloodareindicativeofliver damageandthesewillelevatebeforeclinicalsignsofthediseaseareevident. Protectionfromthetoxincanbeprovidedbyzinctreatment(drenchorcapsule),spraying fungicides,growingcropsorlegumesandherbs.geneticselectionfortolerantanimalsisby farthemosteffectivesolutionfortheindustry. ForuptodateinformationonFacialEczema:see Facing'up'to'facial'eczema availableasa pdfatwww.beeflambnz.com.type facialeczema intothesearchboxandfilterby documents. When ThebesttimetotestanimalsinFEproneareasisinthespringwhentheanimalswillnotbe receivinganaturalfechallenge.thisalsorepresentsthetimewhenthemostimportant animaltraitshavealreadybeenrecordedandthetopanimals(rams)fortestingcanbe selectedonindexes.theotheroptionistotestanimalsafterweaningandbeforeautumn whentheanimalsareyettoreceiveanaturalchallenge.thetoxindoseisgivenasmg/kg liveweightthereforetestingsmalleranimalsismorecosteffective. How Fivelambsofthesamesexpersire,includinglinksires,shouldbeselected.Thedoseforthe lambswillbepredeterminedbythefetestingstatusofthelamb sbirthflockandthesire s flockfestatusandpreviousresults.festatusforsilflockscanbefoundonthesil website.selectedlambsaredosedbyaveterinarianonthefarmwithbloodcollectedfora baseggtenzymelevelplusasecondbloodcollected21dayslaterthatwillmeasureggt21 levels.elevatedggtisindicativeofliverdamageandinthiscaseisusedtomeasurethe responsetothesporidesmindose. ToachieveFEGoldstatus,theflockmustbeabletotoleratedosingrateof0.6mg/kg liveweightwithoutcausinganimalwelfareissues(morethan1%deaths). B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 35
Record GGT ;GGTlevelsinthebloodatdosetreatmentasabaselevel DOSE ;theamountofsporodesmingiveninthechallenge(mg/kgofliveweight). GGT21;GGTlevelsintheblood21daysafterdosetreatment RamGuardStatusRating FlocksareassignedaRamGuardflockstatusratingbasedonthedoseratetheytest at.thedoserateisaffectedbythenumberofyearstheflockhasbeentestingandthe degreetowhichthesheeptestedeachyearreact.ramguardscientistsdeterminethe doseratesthatflocksuseeachyearandproducestatusratingsforflocksbasedon thetablebelow. ThedoserateaflockistestedatisnotusedintheSILgeneticevaluationofFacial Eczematolerance.SoGGT21breedingvaluesmaybesimilarforsheeptestedat differentdoserates.usingtheflockstatusratingalongwiththeestimatesofgenetic meritforindividualanimals(ggt21bvordpxindex)providesthemeanstorate animalsforfetolerance. WhenanimalshavesimilarvaluesforGGT21BVorDPX,thosefromaflockwitha higherstatusratingarelikelytobemoretoleranttofe. ListofFEbreedersthataretestingatthehighdoserate(ie5.StarandFEGoldstatus)canbe foundatwww.fegold.co.nz NaturalChallenge SeekexpertadvicebeforeconsideringrecordingGGT21inresponsetoanaturalchallenge. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 36
9.4Stayability(STAY) Why? Theabilityoftheewetoremainproductiveinherflockforlongerthanothersisadesirable economictrait.theindexreflectsthecostofreplacementswhensheepexittheflockearlier thanothers. When RecordEXITFATEasandwhenaeweleavestheflock.Peakperiodsforcullingarepost weaningandpostpregnancyscanningofdryewes.exitfatescanberecordedforallage classesofstock.theebvrelatestotheewestayabilityintheflock. How Currentlythisbreedingvalueispredictedfromthepresenceorabsenceofewesinthestud flockateachagegivenshewaspresentasatwotooth.infuture,itisintendedto distinguishbetweenewesthatexitforcommercialreasonsandsoundewesthatare removedfromthestudflockforknowledgereasonsusuallyonlyavailabletostudbreeders. Eweswillexittheflockforreasonsincludingthosethatareun.avoidable(e.g.shediedor wentmissing),standardcommercialcullingreasons(e.g.shewasdry,hadmastitis, lamenessandfaults)andculledaspartofstudpractisesuchascullingonbreedingvalues orindexvalues,ortransferforuseinacommercialflock. Atminimumthedatetheeweexitedandthecategory(commercial,knowledgeor unknown)shouldberecorded.itisoptionaltorecordthedetailedreasonforexit(refer table).theexactreasonwhysheexitedtheflockis nicetohave informationthatmaybe usedinfurtherresearchdevelopmentofthistrait,butisnotcurrentlyrequiredforthis researchebv. Record EXITFATEcodes Atminimum,recordas C Commercialreasonthatwouldbeobviouswithoutperformancerecords K Knowledgereasonreliantonperformancerecords(EBVs,Indexesetc.) U Unknown,usesparingly B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 37
AsaguidetodefiningC,KorUcodes,moredetailedcodesarelistedbelow.Thesemayalso berecorded,andwillprovideextradatawhichmayenhancethistraitgivenmorer&d. CommercialCategories KnowledgeCategories Died Culled D1 unknowntime,notlambing L1 lambsborndead D2 atlambing L2 poormotheratlambing D3 pregnancyrelated L3 numberoflambs/lambing D4 otherknowndisease L4 lamblosses M1 Misadventure L5 littersizerecent Culled L6 totallambweanweight M2 Misadventure X1 lambsbornwithfault P1 failedtogetpregnant X2 woolproblem P2 matedlate X3 faultsseeninrelatives P3 Wetdry X4 breedtypefault P4 bearingprolapse G1 animalsownebvs/indexes P5 assistedbirth G2 relativesebvs/indexes H1 poorcondition G3 animalsowngenetestresult H2 excesscondition S1 Age H3 non.fataldisease S2 whenflocksizereduced H4 teethormouthbreakdown S3 soldtootherstud H5 feetorlegbreakdown S4 Soldforcommercialuse H6 eyeproblem H7 udderproblem H8 testicleproblem H9 otherreason A1 oneofafewewesaborting A2 oneofmanyewesaborting B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October2016 38
10.Appendices 10.1Chronologicalorderforrecordingtraitsforeachsubindex B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October201639
10.2SummaryofIndexes Sub.indexaverage,topandbottomvaluesforApril2016runGE33500 TSS TSG TSM DPR DPS DPG DPA DPW DPM DPF DPX DPD average +29 +642 +313 +272 +174 +1261 N506 +130 +94 +48 +566 +13 top +154 +1062 +642 +795 +546 +2100 +256 +334 +456 +533 +1145 +85 bottom.96.223.16.251.198 +422.1268.74.268.437.566.59 SummaryofSILIndexesandweightingofthecomponentstheysummarise B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October201640
B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October201641 10.3Glossary:generalterms,breedingvalues,indexes GeneralTerms Description Accuracyor reliability AscaleofrelativeaccuracyforBVsandindexes.Asmoreinformationis usedinthepredictionoftheanimalsbvandindex,accuracyofthe predictionincreases.traitsorcharacteristicswhicharemoreheritable andmorerelatedtootherpredictortraitshavehigheraccuracy. Acrossflock analysis ASILevaluationthatusesdatafrommorethanoneflock.UseofQlink siresq(seedefinition)isneededtogetqgeneticconnectednessq. Connectednessisrequiredtomakecomparisonsofgeneticmerit betweenanimalsindifferentflocks. BreedingValue Ameasureofgeneticmeritforaparticulartrait(whetherdirectly measurableornot),estimatedfromperformance,pedigreeand/orfrom DNAtests. DNAParentage FlocksrecordingthisareusingDNAtoassignbothsireanddamofall lambs.thisgivesthemostaccurate(100%)pedigreecomparedto traditionalmethods(85.95%)soestimatesofgeneticmeritaremore accurate. DualPurpose Breed(DP) Ewebreedsselectedforlambproductionandewematernal performance. Genetic Connectedness Thisisameasureofhowwelllinkedtwoflocksaregenetically.Strong linksarebuiltbytwoflocksusingthesamesireinthesameyear.the progenyofsuchqlinksiresqareusedtobenchmarkgeneticmerit.such connectednessisneededtovalidlycomparethebvsorindexesfor animalsindifferentflocks. GeneticTrends Graphs SILproducedGeneticTrendGraphsshowthegeneticprogressaflockis making.accurategraphsrequireaflocktobeusinglinksiresbetween yearsi.e.thesamesireisusedinconsecutiveyearstoallownon.genetic effectstoberemovedandshowhowaveragegeneticmeritforatraitor indexhaschanged. GoalTraitGroup Breedingobjectivesareacombinationofbroadtraitcategoriestermed GoalTraitGroups.OneormorebreedingvaluescontributetoaGoal TraitGroupwhichhasacorrespondingsub.index.Combinationsof relevantsub.indexescomprisesummaryindexesofmerit(seeindex section).
GeneralTerms Index Linksires Outsidesires Terminal(Sire) breed(ts) Withinflock analysis Maternalbreed (DP) Description Netvalueofgeneticmeritacrossarangeoftraitsthatrelatetothe breedingobjective.highervaluesarebetterforallsilindexes.sildp indexeshaveunitsofcentsperewelambing,whilesiltsindexeshave unitsofcentsperlambborn.indexescanbeseparatedintosub.indexes forgeneralgoaltraits(seegoaltraitgroupdefinition). Linksireshaveprogenyinmorethanoneflockinthegenetic evaluation.thisprovidestheessentialbenchmarkingneededtoallow ustocomparegeneticmeritofanimalsfromdifferentflocksandfrom differentyearswithinflocks.betweenyearcomparisonsareusedto producegenetictrendgraphs. Siresfromoutsidetheflock(s)intheevaluation.Outsidesireswillhave estimatesofgeneticmerit(bvsandindexes)closetozerountilprogeny intheevaluatedflock(s)haveperformancedata. Sheepbreedsselectedformeatproductionincludingdirectsurvivaland growth. Theanalysisorevaluationusesalltheinformationfromoneflock.For siresfromotherflocks(outsidesires),estimatesofgeneticmerit(bvs andindexes)willbeclosetozerountiltheirprogenyinthisflockhave performancedata. Ewebreedsselectedforlambproductionandewematernal performance.(seedualpurposebreed.) B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October201642
Breeding Values Description Adult body weight EWT Liveweight of adult ewe Adult dag score ADAG Adult dag score Adult ewe fleece weight EFW Weight of ewe fleece Adult faecal egg count AFEC Faecal egg count for adult ewes Belly bareness score BBELLY Belly bareness score at weaning Body Condition Score BCS Body Condition Score 1-5 Breech bareness score BBREECH Breech bareness score at weaning Carcass weight CW Post-weaning growth rate, expressed in terms of carcass return Eye muscle area EMAc Eye muscle area in 18kg carcass Faecal egg count prior March FEC1 Faecal egg count in lambs, late summer Faecal egg count from March FEC2 Faecal egg count in lamb, autumn Fat yield of carcass FATY Fatness - above or below average for 18kg carcass Fleece weight as a lamb LFW Weight of lamb fleece Fleece weight at 12 months FW12 Weight of hogget fleece GGT at day 21 after dose GGT21 Lamb GGT values 21 days after facial eczema challenge Hind quarter lean yield HQLY Hind quarter lean yield in 18kg carcass Hogget fertility HFER Ability of hogget to get pregnant Hogget number of lambs born HNLB Hogget litter size Lamb dag score LDAG Lamb dag score in summer or autumn Lamb survival, direct SUR Lamb vigour birth through to weaning Lamb survival, maternal SURM Ewe mothering ability Lean Yield LEANY Average lean yield across carcass region in 18kg carcass B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October201643
Breeding Values Description Liveweight at 12 months LW12 Liveweight of hogget (12mo) Liveweight at 8 months LW8 Autumn liveweight - post weaning growth Loin lean yield LNLY Loin quarter lean yield in 18kg carcass Number of lambs born NLB Litter size in adult ewes (2-tooth & older) Resilience, age at first drench Resilience, liveweight gain Saliva carbohydrate larval antigens DRAGE RGAIN CARLA Lamb age at first drench under worm challenge for resilience Lamb liveweight gain under worm challenge for resilience Antigens in saliva indicate an immune response to a worm challenge. Animals with high levels of antibodies are better at preventing worms establishing in the gut and so considered more parasite resistant. Shoulder lean yield SHLY Shoulder quarter lean yield in 18kg carcass Stayability STAY Ewes ability to remain productive longer Tail bare skin length TSKIN Length of bare skin area on the underside of the tail Tail length score TLENSC Tail length score at tailing/docking Twinning rate TWIN More twin and fewer single or triplet lambs at given lambing percentage Weaning (body) weight WWT Pre-weaning growth rate Weaning weight maternal WWTM Ewe milking ability contributing to lamb weaning weight B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October201644
B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October201645 Indexes Description DPAdultSize DPA AfunctionoftheadulteweliveweightBV (EWT) DPBareness DPB Thegeneticpropensitytohaveclearpoints (nowool)aroundthebellyandbreech(rear end).basedonbbelly&bbreechbvs. DPDagScore DPD Propensitytocarrydags basedonldag (lamb)&adag(adult)bvs. DPFacialEczemaTolerance DPX Aratingofananimal sabilitytotoleratean FEchallenge,basedontheRamGuard system.thelevelofchallengecandiffer betweenfarmsothisindexismostaccurate forcomparisonswithinfarmandbirthyear. BasedonGGT21BV. DPHoggetlambing DPH Afunctionofewelambfertility(holdingto theram)andlittersizeasa1.yearolddam. Basedon3BVs.HNLB,HFER,&NLB DPInternalParasiteResilience DPZ AnanimalQstoleranceandabilitytoperform underaparasitechallenge.basedon2bvs forrateofliveweightgain(rgain)andage whendrenchingisrequired(drage).this differstoresistantanimalsthatactivelyfight aparasitechallengeresultinginalower faecaleggcount. DPInternalParasiteResistance DPF Predictedfromfaecaleggcounts(FEC) usingthewormfecsystem.basedon3bvs.fec1&fec2forlambs&afecforewes. DPInternalParasiteResistance DPF Predictedfromfaecaleggcounts(FEC) usingthewormfecsystem.basedon3bvs.fec1&fec2forlambs&afecforewes. DPLambGrowth DPG Afunctionof3BVs pre.weaninggrowth andewemilkingability(wwt&wwtm), andcarcassweight(cw) DPLambGrowth+AdultSize DPG+A Afunctionof4BVsinDPGandDPA
B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October201646 Indexes Description DPLambSurvival DPS Afunctionof2BVs lambvigour(sur)& ewemotheringability(surm) DPMeat(Yield) DPM Afunctionofcarcassleanyieldsin3carcass regions shoulder,loinandhindquarter (BVsSQLY,LQLY,&HQLY).Yieldsare deviationforkgoftissueatastandard carcassweight(18kg).fatyield(faty)is notaddressedinthisindexbutthereisa degreeofrelationshipbetweenfatyieldand leanyields(highfatytendstobe associatedwithlowleanyield). DPReproduction DPR Theeconomicvalueofmorelambsperlitter, peryear,for2.toothandolderewes.based onnlbbv. DPStayability DPL Ewelongevitybasedonhowmanyyears theyareabletostayproductiveintheflock. STAYistheBVthatinformsthisindexand iscurrentlybeingfieldtestedbyindustry. DPTwinning DPT Thetendencytoproducemorelittersof2 andfewerof1or3.basedontwinbv. DPWoolproduction DPW AfunctionoffleeceweightBVs(LFW, FW12,EFW). NewZealandMaternalWorth NZDP Anindustrystandardindexfordual purposesheepbasedonreproduction, LambSurvival,LambGrowth+AdultSize, andwoolproduction. NewZealandTerminalWorth NZTS Anindustrystandardindexforterminalsire sheepbasedonlambsurvival,lamb GrowthandcarcassMeatYield. Overallindex TSOor DPO Allgoaltraitsinageneticevaluationthatare relevantfortsordpsheeparecombinedin one overall index.flocksvaryinwhat theyrecordandevaluateandsoproduction indexesvaryinwhattheyinclude.
Productionindex TS(Lamb)Growth TSPor DPP TSG Allgoaltraitsinageneticevaluationthatare relevantfortsordpsheep,exceptthe healthtraits,arecombinedinone production index.flocksvaryinwhat theyrecordandevaluateandsoproduction indexesvaryinwhattheyinclude. Afunctionof3BVs pre.weaninggrowth (WWT),post.weaninggrowth(CW)andewe milkingability(wwtm) TS(Lamb)Survival TSS AfunctionofSUR(lambvigour)BV. TSDagScore TSInternalParasiteResistance TSMeat(Yield) TSD TSF TSM Propensitytocarrydags basedonldag (lamb)&adag(adult)bvs. Predictedfromfaecaleggcounts(FEC) usingthewormfecsystem.basedon3bvs.fec1&fec2forlambs&afecforewes. Afunctionofcarcassleanyieldsinthree carcassregions shoulder,loinandhind quarter(bvssqly,lqly,hqly).yields aredeviationforkgoftissueatastandard carcassweight(18kg).fatyield(faty)is notaddressedinthisindexbutthereisa degreeofrelationshipbetweenfatyieldand leanyields(highfatytendstobe associatedwithlowleanyield).eyemuscle Areacalculated(EMAc)BVfromwidthand depthofeyemuscleasscannedby ultrasoundisincluded. B+LNZGenetics.BestPracticeGuideDRAFT.October201647
Beef + Lamb New Zealand Genetics PO Box 5501, Dunedin 9058 email: annie.oconnell@blnzgenetics.com phone: 027 403 375 www.blnzgenetics.com