Evaluation of eleven cattle breeds for crossbred beef production: performance of progeny up to 13 months of age

1990 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. L. Baker ◽  
A. H. Carter ◽  
C. A. Morris ◽  
D. L. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Gestation Length ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
Weaning Weight ◽  
Cattle Breeds ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Calving Difficulty ◽  
Sire Breed

ABSTRACTEleven sire breeds were evaluated in New Zealand from the performance of their calves at two sites using Aberdeen-Angus cows, and at a third site using Angus and Hereford cows. The experiment was carried out over 5 years, generating a total of 4519 calves by 161 different sires. There were seven recently imported sire breeds, Blonde d'Aquitaine, Charolais, Chianina, Limousin, Maine Anjou, Simmental (including strains from four countries) and South Devon, and four local breeds, Angus, Friesian, Hereford and Jersey. Overall, 92% of calves survived at birth and through to weaning, with a range from 86% for the Charolais sire breed to 96% for the Friesian and Jersey breeds. The proportion of calves (from cows aged 3 years and over) experiencing birth difficulty averaged 8·6% and ranged from 17·7% for the Charolais, 15·1% for the Chianina and 13·7% for the Maine Anjou, to 2·3% for the Hereford and 0·9% for the Jersey. Birth weights by sire breed had a range of 7·2 kg, proportionally 0·23 of the mean for the Hereford × Angus cross. The birth weights of calves by imported sire breds were greater than those of calves sired by local breeds by 4·7 kg. Sire breeds were ranked in approximately the same order for the weights of calves at weaning (5 months of age) and at 13 months of age. As a proportion of the mean for the Hereford × Angus crosses, there was a range due to sire breed of 0×17 for weaning weight and 013 for 13-month weight. As a group, the imported sire breeds had calves with 13-month weights 11·5 kg heavier than Hereford × Angus or 250kg heavier than straightbred Angus calves; proportionally these advantages in weight were 005 and 011, respectively. There was no evidence of any major interaction between sire breed and location. The heritability estimates ranged from 0·01 to 0·05 for calving difficulty and survival traits, from 0·13 to 0·33 for live weights and from 0·06 to 0·12 for pre-weaning live-weight gains. For gestation length the estimate was 0·48.

Evaluation of Hereford and first-cross cows on three pasture systems. II. Growth of Hereford and Brahman sired calves out of mature cows

1994 ◽  
Vol 122 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Hearnshaw ◽  
P. F. Arthur ◽  
P. J. Kohun ◽  
R. Barlow
Keyword(s):  
Average Daily Gain ◽  
The Other ◽  
Weaning Weight ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Medium Quality ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
Calving Difficulty ◽  
Daily Gain ◽  
Sire Breed

SUMMARYThe preweaning growth of the progeny of mature cows grazing high, medium or low quality pasture was evaluated. The cows were 5–9 years of age at the beginning of the study and were either purebred Hereford (H x H), first-cross Brahman x Hereford (B x H), Simmental x Hereford (S x H) or Friesian x Hereford (F x H). Hereford and Brahman bulls were mated to these cows for three mating seasons commencing in 1982, at Grafton, New South Wales, Australia. Records on 634 calves born over three consecutive years were used.Most traits were subject to significant sire breed or dam breed effects or their interactions with one or more of the other main effects (pasture, year of birth of calf, cow age and sex of calf). The incidences of calving difficulty and stillbirths were exceptions. Stillbirths (mean of 3·8%) were not affected by any of the effects studied, while calving difficulty was affected only by sex of calf effect (males, 3·9%; females, 0·8%). The mean calving date of Brahman-sired calves was 11·4 days later (P < 0·05) than that of Hereford-sired calves. Differences between Brahman-sired and Hereford-sired calves for weaning weight were not significant for S x H (Brahman, 237 kg; Hereford, 232 kg) and FxH (Brahman, 238kg; Hereford, 238kg) dams. For HxH dams however, calves sired by Brahman were heavier at weaning (205 kg) than those sired by Hereford (193 kg) bulls, while for B x H dams the reverse was true (Brahman, 222 kg; Hereford, 231 kg). For calves with B x H dams average daily gain (ADG) was the same (957 g/day) for each sire breed, while for the other dam breeds, Brahman-sired calves had a higher ADG than Hereford-sired calves (862 v. 779, 1014 v. 946 and 1022 v. 950 g/day for H x H, S x H and FxH, respectively). Calves sired by Brahman bulls had > 90% eyelid pigmentation while Hereford-sired calves had 44–74%. On high quality pasture, the weaning weights and ADG of calves of F x H and S x H dams were higher than those of B x H and HxH dams. On medium quality pasture, weaning weight of calves of crossbred dams (B x H, S x H and FxH) were similar but higher than those of H x H dams. On low quality pasture, mean weaning weight of calves of B x H was higher than those of S x H and F x H dams, which in turn, were higher than that of H x H dams.

A comparison of breeds and their crosses for beef production. I. Birth and weaning traits

1981 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 399 ◽  
Author(s):  
JHL Morgan ◽  
GR Saul
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Gestation Length ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
Weaning Weight ◽  
Calf Mortality ◽  
Calving Difficulty ◽  
Friesian Cows

Hereford and Friesian cows aged 12-15 months in 1970, were inseminated with semen from Hereford, Friesian, Charolais and Brahman bulls each year from 1970 to 1973 to produce a total of 736 calves. All cows and calves were grazed together, and the total of 650 surviving calves weaned at c. 8 months of age. Cow age and year of calving were confounded. Hereford cows had longer gestations, smaller calves, more calving difficulty and greater calf mortality than Friesian cows. Hereford cows provided their calves with less than half as much milk as did Friesian cows; the weaning weight advantage of calves from Friesian cows varied from 48 % in 2-year-old cows to 22-24 % in 3-, 4- and 5-year-old cows. Relative to Hereford sires, the use of Charolais and Brahman sires on Hereford and Friesian cows resulted in increases in gestation length, birth weight, calf mortality and calving difficulty; the use of Friesian sires tended to increase calving difficulty, but did not increase gestation length, birth weight or calf mortality. In Hereford cows, the use of Charolais and Friesian sires, as compared with Hereford sires, increased weaning weight by 8 % on average over the 4 years (the increase was zero in 2- and 3-year-old cows and 11-18 % in 4- and 5-year-old cows); the use of Brahman sires did not increase weaning weight. In Friesian cows, the use of Charolais sires, as compared with Hereford sires, increased weaning weight by 5-10% in all years; the use of Friesian sires did not influence weaning weight whilst the use of Brahman sires reduced it by 5%. Heterosis from crossing the Hereford and Friesian breeds increased the weaning weight of the first-cross calves by 3.4%.

Growth and Carcass Composition of Implanted and Non-Implanted Heifers and Steers Reared Together

1986 ◽  
Vol 1986 ◽  
pp. 23-23
Author(s):  
M. G. Keane ◽  
M. J. Drennan
Keyword(s):  
Present Experiment ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Beef Cows ◽  
Carcass Composition ◽  
Birth Date ◽  
Milk Replacer ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Sex Type ◽  
The Mean

The national cow herd consists of 1.64m dairy and 0.43m beef cows. They produce a total of 1.76m reared calves annually. Of these 0.42m heifers go as herd replacements, leaving 0.46m heifers and 0.88m males available for beef production. There is a 2:l ratio of males to femaies in the population of calves available for beef production. Also, there are few straightbred dairy heifer calves available and the mean birth date of heifer calves for beef production is later than that cf males. The objectives of the present experiment were (i) to compare the performance and carcass composition of non-implanted and implanted heifers and steers and (ii) to compare the carcass composition of serially slaughtered non-implanted and implanted heifers.Sixty tour (48 female and 16 male) Spring born Hereford x Friesian calves (initial live-weight 45 kg) were purchased and reared on milk replacer and concentrates. After 81 days they were blocked on weight and assigned from within sex type to 8 treatment groups.

Selecting terminal beef sires on their estimated breeding values for economic efficiency

1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 ◽  
pp. 127-127
Author(s):  
Margaret E King ◽  
P J Broadbent
Keyword(s):  
Economic Efficiency ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Performance Test ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Selection Index ◽  
Performance Testing ◽  
Breeding Value ◽  
Gestation Length ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
Calving Difficulty

The selection objective of the SAC Simmental MOET Project, is to improve the economic efficiency of lean, or saleable, meat production in crossbred beef production systems.The factors which contribute to the selection objective are the yield of saleable meat, feed intake and calving difficulty. These goal characteristics are combined into an index by taking into account their respective financial values and costs. Calves generated by multiple ovulation and embryo transfer (MOET) are weaned from their recipient dams at 10 weeks old and placed in performance test from 5 to 11 months of age. At the end of the performance test, saleable meat yield is estimated from liveweight at end of test, ultrasonic fat depth measurements and muscling score. Calving difficulty is predicted from the birthweight and gestation length of the animal on test whilst feed intake is measured directly by recording individual food intakes during performance testing. The estimated breeding value for the selection index of an animal is expressed in £'s (pounds sterling) as deviations from a mean of zero for the SAC population of Simmentals. It is calculated using the information for each animal plus that of all its relatives in its own and other performance tests by means of BLUP procedures.The objective of the work described here was to evaluate the effectiveness of the selection index in identifying sires of superior genetic merit for use in crossbred beef production systems.

Influence of shearing regime and grass silage quality on the performance of pregnant ewes

1990 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 573-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather J. Black ◽  
D. M. B. Chestnut
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Weight Change ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Milk Composition ◽  
Gestation Length ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Silage Quality ◽  
Carry Over ◽  
Lamb Growth ◽  
Carry Over Effect

ABSTRACTThe performance of housed ewes, shorn at various stages during pregnancy and offered silages ad libitum made from grass harvested at two contrasting stages of growth, was studied. The mean increase in silage dry matter (DM) intake due to shearing (0·11 kg/day; P > 0·05) was small in comparison with that resulting from offered earlier-cut silage (0·27 kg/day; P < 0·001). The mean increase in twin lamb birth weight from ewes shorn at least 6 weeks before lambing was almost 1 kg per lamb (P < 0·01) with no significant effect on ewe live-weight change. Greatest increase in lamb birth weight (1·11 kg; P < 0·01) was produced by shearing several times during pregnancy, with least response (0·23 kg; P < 0·05) from shearing once only, 4 weeks before lambing. The effect of silage quality on lamb birth weight was not significant, despite the large difference in DM intake of the two silages. This difference in intake was reflected by ewe live-weight change over pregnancy with those ewes offered early-cut silage gaining 5·57 kg while those offered late-cut silage lost 4·53 kg (P < 0·001). There was a marked fall in respiration rate and rectal temperature after each shearing and, compared with shorn ewes, unshorn ewes had a mean gestation length which was 2·04 days shorter (P < 0·01). In terms of lamb growth rates, ewe milk yields and milk composition, the performance on all treatments after turn-out to pasture was satisfactory and no significant carry-over effect of treatments applied during pregnancy were observed during the first 5 weeks of lactation.

scholarly journals Genetic Parameters for Maternal Performance Traits in Commercially Farmed New Zealand Beef Cattle

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2509
Author(s):  
Franziska Weik ◽  
Rebecca E. Hickson ◽  
Stephen T. Morris ◽  
Dorian J. Garrick ◽  
Jason A. Archer
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Body Condition Score ◽  
Genetic Effect ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
Weaning Weight ◽  
Performance Traits ◽  
Maternal Performance

Maternal performance is a major driver of profitability in cow-calf beef cattle enterprises. The aim of this research was to evaluate the inheritance of maternal performance traits and examine the intercorrelation among reproduction, live weight, hip height, body condition and maternal contribution to calf weaning weight in 15-month-old heifers, 2-year-old cows and mature cows in New Zealand beef herds. Data were collected on a total of 14,241 cows and their progeny on five commercial New Zealand hill country farms. Heritabilities were low for reproductive traits in heifers and mature cows (0–0.06) but were greater in 2-year-old cows (0.12–0.21). Body condition scores were lowly (0.15–0.26) and live weights (0.42–0.48) and hip heights (0.47–0.65) highly heritable in heifers, 2-year-old cows and mature cows. Results indicate that 2-year-old cows with higher genetic potential for rebreeding ability may have greater genetic merit for live weight, hip height and body condition as heifers (rg = 0.19–0.54) but are unlikely to be larger cows at maturity (rg = −0.27–−0.10). The maternal genetic effect on weaning weight had a heritability of 0.20 and was negatively genetically correlated with body condition score in lactating cows (rg = −0.55–−0.40) but positively genetically correlated with rebreeding performance (rg = 0.48).

Performance of Hereford and crossbred Hereford cattle in the subtropics of New South Wales: genetic analyses of pre-weaning performance of first-cross calves

1980 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 417 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Barlow ◽  
GH O'Neill
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Genetic Correlations ◽  
Environmental Variation ◽  
Direct Selection ◽  
Gestation Length ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Weaning Weight ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Sire Breed ◽  
Size At Birth

First-cross calves of Simmental (S), Friesian (F), and Brahman (B) sires were compared with straight-bred calves of Hereford (H) sires over 5 years at Grafton, N.S.W. There was a total of 775 calves sired by 205 bulls with complete records of performance from conception to weaning. Analyses were conducted to determine sire breed and sire breed x environment effects, and to provide paternal half-sib estimates of heritabilities and genetic and phenotypic correlations. Various models were used to ascertain the sensitivity of genetic parameters to the removal of different sources of variation. Among females, S x H were heaviest at birth, while among males, B x H were heaviest. The regression coefficient of birth weight on gestation length was significantly greater for B x H calves than for other crosses. All crosses grew significantly faster to weaning and were significantly heavier at weaning than H x H calves. However, there were a number of significant interactions between sire breed and environmental variables for measures of pre-weaning growth. S x H and F x H calves appeared most sensitive to environmental variation, while B x H appeared least sensitive. The significance of this is discussed. Estimates of heritability for most traits were high. Values derived by using simple models were: gestation length, 0.68; birth weight, 0.56; average daily gain (ADG) to weaning, 0.47; weaning weight, 0.54; eyelid pigmentation, 0.50. Heritabilities of birth weight and ADG during the early pre-weaning period appeared most sensitive to the amount of environmental variation removed in the model. Gestation length was positively correlated with size at birth but negatively correlated with growth to weaning. There were large positive genetic correlations among various measures of size at birth, and among various measures of growth to weaning. When compared with ADG to weaning, weaning weight was more strongly correlated with birth weight, but less strongly correlated with gestation length. The results also indicated that selection for gain over a fixed time period, immediately prior to weaning, would be as efficient as direct selection for total ADG to weaning.

Genetic evaluation of crossbred lamb production. 1. Breed and fixed effects for birth and weaning weight of first-cross lambs, gestation length, and reproduction of base ewes

2005 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 443 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. M. Fogarty ◽  
V. M. Ingham ◽  
A. R. Gilmour ◽  
L. J. Cummins ◽  
G. M. Gaunt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Litter Size ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Genetic Evaluation ◽  
Gestation Length ◽  
Production Traits ◽  
Weaning Weight ◽  
Frozen Semen ◽  
Lamb Survival ◽  
Sire Breed

This is the first paper in a series that reports on a national maternal sire central progeny test program (MCPT) to evaluate the genetic variation for economically important production traits in first- and second-cross progeny of maternal and dual purpose (meat and wool) sires and the scope for genetic improvement. The MCPT program also provides direct linkages between breeds that will contribute information for across-breed genetic evaluation. Crossbred progeny by 91 sires from more than 7 maternal breeds (including Border Leicester, East Friesian, Finnsheep, Coopworth, White Suffolk, Corriedale, and Booroola Leicester) at 3 sites over 3 years with 3 link sires in common at each site and year were evaluated in this study. National estimated breeding values for the sires that were entered by industry breeders indicated that there was some selection for weight, but not other traits and the sires were generally representative of the maternal genetics available to the industry. There were 8377 base Merino and Corriedale ewes artificially inseminated with thawed-frozen semen from the 91 sires and 8193 crossbred lambs born and 6117 lambs weaned. Mixed model analyses of birth and weaning weight, lamb survival, and gestation length as well as fertility, litter size, and lamb weaning rate of the base ewes are reported. Sire breed was significant for birth weight (with a range of 4.0–4.4 kg at an average litter size of 1.8) and weaning weight (19.6–22.5 kg), as well as lamb survival (70–79%) and gestation length (147.1–150.3 days). Birth/rearing type was significant for all traits. Males were significantly heavier than females at birth and weaning, although there was no sex difference for lamb survival or gestation length when birthweight was included in the model. Pregnancy rate from the artificially inseminated base ewes varied from 40 to 84% at the 3 locations in the various years. Sire breed was significant for the number of lambs weaned per ewe lambing, but not for fetal number or litter size born. There were also significant differences in performance due to the source of the base ewes at each site.

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