Holsteins Favor Heifers, Not Bulls: Biased Milk Production Programmed during Pregnancy as a Function of Fetal Sex

Katie Hinde; Abigail J. Carpenter; John S. Clay; Barry J. Bradford

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0086169

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Research Article

Holsteins Favor Heifers, Not Bulls: Biased Milk Production Programmed during Pregnancy as a Function of Fetal Sex

Katie Hinde ,

* E-mail: khinde@fas.harvard.edu

Affiliations Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America, Nutrition Laboratory, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America, Brain, Mind, and Behavior Unit, California National Primate Research Center, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
⨯
Abigail J. Carpenter,

Affiliation Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, United States of America
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John S. Clay,

Affiliation Dairy Records Management Systems, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
⨯
Barry J. Bradford

Affiliation Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, United States of America
⨯

Holsteins Favor Heifers, Not Bulls: Biased Milk Production Programmed during Pregnancy as a Function of Fetal Sex

Katie Hinde,
Abigail J. Carpenter,
John S. Clay,
Barry J. Bradford

Published: February 3, 2014
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0086169
See the preprint

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Sire of fetus effects

Posted by jsdairy on 15 May 2015 at 19:52 GMT

I wonder why the authors did not consider as part of their statistical models the variation in future milk production attributable to the sire of fetus. At least two publications: "Effect of sire of fetus on subsequent 90-day production of the Holstein dam" (J Dairy Sci. 1985. 68:1286-9) and "Effects of sire of fetus upon subsequent milk production and reproduction of Jersey cows" (J Dairy Sci. 1989 72:1012-9) reported that the sire of fetus can contribute to future milk production of their daughters. Placental-produced products (e.g., placental lactogen) could be the vehicle by which such sire effects are facilitated. Evidence also exists indicating that the immediate postpartum ovarian responsiveness and uterine involution in Holstein heifers may be affected by genotypes of the conceptus they bore during pregnancy (J. Dairy Sci.61:1516-1526).

No competing interests declared.

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Holsteins Favor Heifers, Not Bulls: Biased Milk Production Programmed during Pregnancy as a Function of Fetal Sex

Holsteins Favor Heifers, Not Bulls: Biased Milk Production Programmed during Pregnancy as a Function of Fetal Sex

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Sire of fetus effects

Posted by jsdairy on 15 May 2015 at 19:52 GMT