Studies on Some Body Measurements in Romanian Black and White Cows and their Relationships within Body Indices Building-Up

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess the new body measurements introduced in use for Romanian Black and White cows belonging to Holstein-Friesian breeds, and their influences on body indices. Researches were carried out on 66 adult Romanian Black and White cows. The following measurements were performed: 1) old: height at withers, oblique body length, and chest depth, and 2) new: height at rump, body length, and body depth. The following indices were calculated: lateral body index, lateral trunk index, and thorax depth index using both old and new measurements. Variability for the body dimensions and indices, both old and new, was low, as well as differences between averages and median. New body dimensions, measured in different points of the cows, differ significantly from the old used dimensions in describing the conformation of the Romanian Black and White cows. Therefore the body indices made up with the new measurements were significantly different compared to the old indices. However, there were high and significant correlations between the old and new body dimensions and indices, showing that there are similar factors that influence them. Further research should be carried out in order to clarify the functional and conformation meaning of the new dimensions and indices.