The ABBA recently launched the new QUEEN EPD index. This maternal index is a composite score that utilizes multiple EPDs in order to create an index that ranks animals on their likelihood to be and/or produce good replacement female(s).
Scrotal circumference, docility and calving ease are weighted heavily in this index since these traits are indicators of early puberty and manageability. Frame score, milk and back fat have no correlation to the sign, meaning that selecting replacement heifers using this index will not increase the mature size of the herd or have an impact on milk production.
The QUEEN Index is designed to be a tool that allows breeders to analyze multiple traits for a specific breeding objective through a single value. The higher the number, the more likely the animal is to be and/or to produce profitable replacement females.
Below is a list of the top females for the QUEEN Index in the ABBA. All females on this list had to be born after 2005 and have a BW accuracy of more than 40%.
Thank you to Livestock Genetics Services and the association for providing this data.
