PRE- AND POST WEANING GROWTH OF CATTALO, HEREFORD, AND 1/4 BRAHMAN–3/4 HEREFORD CALVES
Hereford calves exceeded cattalo calves (averaging 1/7 bison–6/7 domestic and the product of matings of cattalo bulls of 1/14–3/16 bison to cattalo cows of 1/4–1/2 bison) by 3.8% in birth weight, based on data taken on 654 calves between 1958 and 1964. Hereford (72) and cattalo (164) calves born in 1961–1963 did not differ in average daily gain to weaning or in weaning weight, but Hereford calves exceeded cattalo calves by 15.5 and 4.7% in average daily gain in the feedlot and weight at the end of the 168-day feedlot test. In a comparison of calves born in 1962 and 1963, 32 1/4 Brahman–3/4 Hereford (1/4 Brahman calves were the result of backcrossing Hereford bulls to first-cross Brahman × Hereford cows), 110 cattalo, and 38 Hereford calves did not differ in birth weight; however, 1/4 Brahman calves showed evidence of the superior mothering ability of their dams by surpassing the cattalo by 19.2% and the Herefords by 24.3% in average daily gain to weaning, and excelling them by 17.9 and 14.0% in weaning weight. Hereford calves had 14.1 and 15.9% larger average daily gains in the feedlot and required only 86.6 and 73.2% as much digestible energy (Meal) per kilogram of gain as the cattalo and 1/4 Brahman calves. At the end of the 168-day feedlot test, 1/4 Brahman calves were 7.9% heavier than the cattalo but the 1/4 Brahman and Hereford calves did not differ statistically.