Disease traits were simulated as normally distributed traits per animal, with genetic covariances among the traits and with milk production and growth traits. Each trait had a phenotypic variance of 100.
To convert the normally distributed trait to a probability, 100 was added to the phenotypic trait value (genetic plus residual effects), and then that was divided by 100 to give a value from 0.5 to 1.5 range. Suppose p=0.1 is the probability of a disease occurrence in that parity, season, DIM, then p is multiplied by the cow ratio. Values greater than 1 increase the probability of occurrence, and less than 1 reduce the probability of occurrence. The range of the cow ratios varies with the disease and the heritability of that disease.
A set of tables were made for the probabilities of each disease occurring, by parity number and by days in milk. The table below contains the odds ratios for the increase in probability of a disease given that the cow has had another disease.
Cow Has | MF | LDA | Ket | Mast. | Ret.Pl. | Cyst.Ov. | Metritis |
Milk Fever | 1 | 2.61 | 2.51 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Ret. Pl. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2.13 | 1 | 1 | 3.53 |
Mastitis | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2.39 | 2.04 | 1 |
Metritis | 1 | 1 | 2.20 | 1.95 | 1 | 2.77 | 1 |
Ketosis | 1 | 7.98 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
LDA | 1 | 1 | 6.88 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Below is a table of the days in milk when a disease most likely occurs during a lactation, and the incidences of the disease by lactation number.
Trait | Earliest DIM | Latest DIM | Parity 1 | Parity 2 | 3rd + |
Mastitis | 0 | 305 | 0.056 | 0.084 | 0.087 |
Lameness | 0 | 305 | 0.021 | 0.025 | 0.025 |
Cyst. Ov. | 31 | 150 | 0.032 | 0.052 | 0.065 |
LDA | 0 | 150 | 0.005 | 0.005 | 0.011 |
Ketosis | 0 | 30 | 0.003 | 0.005 | 0.011 |
Metritis | 0 | 150 | 0.096 | 0.089 | 0.101 |
Milk Fever | 0 | 30 | 0.003 | 0.005 | 0.026 |
Ret. Pl. | 0 | 30 | 0.013 | 0.019 | 0.022 |
The following table contains odds ratios for the 4 seasons of the year, increases or decreases in probabilities.
Trait | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
Mastitis | 1 | 1.00 | 1.11 | 0.96 |
Lameness | 1 | 1.04 | 0.50 | 0.18 |
Cyst. Ov. | 1 | 0.64 | 0.62 | 0.19 |
LDA | 1 | 1.18 | 0.79 | 1.00 |
Ketosis | 1 | 1.91 | 2.04 | 1.88 |
Metritis | 1 | 0.85 | 1.19 | 0.68 |
Milk Fever | 1 | 1.01 | 0.80 | 0.98 |
Ret. Pl. | 1 | 1.97 | 1.70 | 1.10 |
Diseases have different effects on production, weights, and reproduction, and for different durations during the lactation. The reductions in performance were in percentages of usual production.
Trait | Milk | Days | Weight | Days | Feed | Days | CR | Days |
Mastitis | 0.95 | 305 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Lameness | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Cyst. Ov. | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
LDA | 1 | 0 | 0.77 | 28 | 0.70 | 28 | 1 | 0 |
Ketosis | 0.85 | 21 | 0.82 | 21 | 0.90 | 21 | 1 | 0 |
Metritis | 0.87 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.62 | 119 |
Milk Fever | 0.94 | 21 | 0.90 | 21 | 0.90 | 21 | 1 | 0 |
Ret. Pl. | 0.87 | 14 | 1.00 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.62 | 119 |
Diseases require labour hours and drug costs, as shown in the following table. Some cases result in death or culling, the percentages are shown below.
Trait | Labour Hours | Drug Cost | Death % | Cull % |
Dystocia | 1 | 44 | 0.010 | 0.022 |
Mastitis | 1 | 15 | 0.011 | 0.070 |
Lameness | .5 | 26 | 0.010 | 0.120 |
Cyst. Ov. | 1 | 50 | 0.001 | 0.050 |
LDA | 1 | 86 | 0.020 | 0.080 |
Ketosis | .67 | 19 | 0.005 | 0.050 |
Metritis | .67 | 20 | 0.015 | 0.060 |
Milk Fever | .5 | 25 | 0.040 | 0.050 |
Ret. Pl. | .67 | 20 | 0.015 | 0.060 |