Is Docility Heritabale?

[Show Steaks]

I was just wondering if the docility of a calf is heritable liek in its genes or if it is just learned?
Thanks
Andrew

 

[farmboy]

i believe it is, our crazy cows had crazy calves, our puppy dog cows had puppy dog calves

 

[shortyjock89]

I think it's both.  We have had ET calves out of cows that are a little wary and are still really tame like their natural siblings, and then we've had calves that are out of nervous cows that are just nervous.  We have a heifer that we've messed with since she was a couple months old, and she still acts like her mom : nervous most of the time.  Messing with them from an early age usually makes them WAY more gentle though.  

 

[AAOK]

Absolutely a heritable trait........and a good one to build into your herd.

 

[TexasHeat]

I also think it is heritable.  I have heard that docility can be related to a bulls scrotal epd.  The bigger, the more docile.

 

[stumpy]

Does anybody on here remember breaking and being broken by Full Throttle calves....... My Answer is a resounding yes. The tame bull's calves are easier to be around.

 

[justintime]

I agree that docility is heritable... very much so. It is also an acquired trait with the docility of the dam being the biggest factor. We are using a bull right now, who is siring the most docile calves we have ever had. They halter break easily and they are all the same... super quiet. I have seen other bulls who seem quiet themselves and yet they sire calves that are almost possessed.

 

[Rocky Hill Simmental]

It's a hereditable trait and can be DNA tested for. But other traits, it can be effected by environment too. 

 

[CPL]

Please remember that it is heritable; however, management and environment will also play a part in it as well. A calf that has been hand touched since day 1 will react much differently to a halter than a 8 month old steer, who was just weaned that just came off of 500 acres with only cows and predators in contact with it.

 

[CPL]

It's a hereditable trait and can be DNA tested for. But other traits, it can be effected by environment too. 

You beat me to it by just about a minute!

 

[LN]

We used a Simmental bull awhile back, DSR Black Powder Z13, all of progeny were goofy and his grand-progeny are goofy too.

 

[showcattlegal]

I have seen it both ways. my wildest cow has some of the tamest calves to break, and one of my gentlest cows was a full flush.

 

[kfacres]

I don't agree with the enviroment being a complete factor in docility..

Had a Stainless Steel x angus calf last fall, worked with it at least once a week from birth, never could get her calmed down.  Had her broke to lead, but spooky, and crazy to catch.. Ended up, while leading her around one day, she flipped out and took off dragging me- and cut her rear leg down to bone on a pile of tin that was in process of redoing a shed... Cut achlilles tendon right in half.. We butchered her to salavage, but hated to lose that one... Prob best heifer calf we had.. Only good that came from it was she died, before she killed someone else.. Don't know if I would have ever got her calmed down.  freak accident

 

[bcosu]

i believe that docility is determined a lot by heritability but that environment helps too. there are always the crazy cows that have crazy calves and the tame cows that have tame calves. but there are always those that go opposite their parents. i think that there are some that are tame the minute they are born and others are crazy the minute they are born. we have had some that eventually become accustomed to people and some that do but are still shy at the same time. i think alot of it is a trust thing and that alot of cattle believe that nothing bad will happen (that is if they are capable of doing that)

 

[justintime]

Years ago, when I worked at Bar 5 Simmental, Lacombe Achilles was the quietest pet of a herd bull you would ever find... and his calves were mostly killers... Simply pea brained goofy.
Bar 5 Dutch was a killer himself. No one was allowed in his pen and we fed him by climbing a ladder and dumping his feed over a 8 foot fence. He came close to killing more than a few people in his lifetime. Dutch calves were easy to halter break and were really very easy to work with. That is about the most unusual thing I have seen regarding heritability of temperament that I have seen. Most of the quiet bulls i have worked with have had quiet calves.

 

[harley]

Good luck figuring that one out.  Have an angus cow that we can catch any day of the week in the pasture, I actually AI her tied to the back of the truck, and her calves have been the goofiest things on 4 legs. 
Also had a group of cows that we bred to our herd bull.  I was in and around these cows and calves nearly daily since they were born.  Weining and breaking was a nightmare.  Some went to the sale barn just because they were nuts.  Following year, same exact cows, bred to same bull, didn't get to spend that much time around them after calving.  Absolutely dreaded breaking them because of the group the year before.  Brought them home and was actually walking up to one of them and scratching him in the pen the very next day.  All of them broke like a dream.  I quit trying to figure it out after that.

 

[CPL]

I don't agree with the enviroment being a complete factor in docility..

Don't take my word for it:

We are now left with docility, an important characteristic to be sure. No one wants to be injured by their animals or worse, have one of your animals injure a buyer.  Docility is a subjective measurement and environment has a great effect on its expression.  It is possible to quiet an unruly bull and it is also possible to turn a docile animal into a savage.  We must always remember that these animals outweigh us 10 to 1.  Many times it is the quiet ones that cause the most injuries.

http://www.cruachan.com.au/evalu.htm

There is also much more studies, university publications, etc. out there. Of course there will always be exceptions to any rule written.