The aim of the study was to obtain estimates
of genetic correlations between direct and maternal
calving performance of heifers and cows and beef
production traits in Piemontese cattle. Beef production
traits were daily gain, live fleshiness, and bone thinness
measured on 1,602 young bulls tested at a central station.
Live fleshiness (six traits) and bone thinness were
subjectively scored by classifiers using a nine-point linear
grid. Data on calving performance were calving dif-
ficulty scores (five classes from unassisted to embryotomy)
routinely recorded in the farms. Calving performance
of heifers and cows were considered different
traits. A total of 30,763 and 80,474 calving scores in first
and later parities, respectively, were used to estimate
covariance components with beef traits. Data were analyzed
using bivariate linear animal models, including
direct genetic effects for calving performance and beef
traits and maternal genetic effects only for calving performance.
Due to the nature of the data structure,
which involved traits measured in different environ