Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Growth: The growth category predicts the growth potential of a bull's calves. Traits
measured include:
Calving ease direct (CED) predicts the likelihood a bull's calves will be born without diffi-
culties if he is bred to a first-calf heifer. A CED score is a percentage of unassisted births
cows are likely to have when delivering a particular bull's calf. An unassisted birth is one in
which a farmer does not have to help pull the calf out. A higher value means first-calf heifers
are more likely to deliver a bull's calf without trouble. Birth weight (BW) predicts the
pounds the bull's calves will weigh at birth. Weaning weight (WW) predicts how big a bull's
calf will grow before it is weaned. Yearling weight (YW) predicts how heavy a calf will be at
1 year old. Yearling height (YH) predicts how tall, in inches, a calf will be at 1 year old com-
pared to calves of other sires. Scrotal circumference (SC) is measured in centimeters; bigger
scrotums mean better bulls.
You do not necessarily want a larger birth weight score because high birth weights often make
it difficult for mothers to give birth. You most likely do want higher scores for weaning
weight and yearling weight because high scores indicate the bull produces fast-growing
calves. You have to weigh these scores based on your goals — if you want to sell calves at
weaning, the most important score for you would be weaning weight. If you want to keep an-
imals longer, the yearling weight score is more important.
Maternal: This category predicts how a bull's daughters will perform if used for breed-
ing. Traits measured in this area include:
Calving ease maternal (CEM) predicts how easily a bull's daughters will give birth as first-
calf heifers compared to other bulls' daughters. A high score means the daughters are more
likely to deliver cows without difficulty.
Maternal milk (Milk) predicts the mothering ability of a sire's daughters, specifically how
her milk and mothering ability will translate to calf growth before weaning.
Mature Weight (MW) predicts how much a bull's daughters will weigh (in pounds) at matur-
ity compared to other bulls' daughters.
Mature Height (MH) predicts how tall a bull's daughters will be (in inches) compared to the
daughters of other bulls.
Cow energy value ($EN). Not all cows require the same amount of feed to meet their energy
requirements. Cow energy value predicts how much a cow's energy requirements could save
Search WWH ::




Custom Search