Genetic parameters for first milk production and composition traits for Holsteins using multivariate restricted maximum likelihood.

Heritabilities and genetic and phenotypic correlations among yields of milk, fat, protein, and percentages of fat and protein were estimated from 40,984 first lactation records of daughters of 488 young and 75 proven Holstein sires using multivariate REML and a sire model accounting for relationships and sire groups. Proven sires were treated as fixed effects. Heritabilities for yields of milk, fat, protein, and percentages of fat and protein were .29, .31, .25, .65, and .61, respectively. Genetic correlations of milk with yields of fat, protein, and percentages of fat and protein and correlations of fat yield with fat percentage were .45, .79, -.49, -.54 and .56, respectively. Genetic correlations among yields and among percentage of fat and protein were the same (.62). Genetic and phenotypic correlations of protein percentage with fat and protein yields and correlations of fat percentages with protein yield were small (-.13 to .11). Phenotypic correlations were .73 to .90 among yields of milk, fat, and protein; -.31 for milk and fat percentage; -.39 for milk and protein percentage; and .38 for fat yield and fat percentage. Estimates were consistent with an earlier study utilizing data from the same population and also with other reports.