SELECTING A BEEF BULL Emphasis On Weight- For-Age

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29240, 25 June 1960, Page 8

SELECTING A BEEF BULL Emphasis On Weight-For-Age

GOOD 'deal has been said recently about using growth rate as the basis for breeding beef cattle. Dr. C. P. McMeekan, superintendent of the Ruakura Animal Research Station, said something about thia at the recent Lincoln College farmers’ conference and more was heard about it at last week’s Ruakura farmers’ conference and the field day held in conjunction with it. Dr. McMeekan told the Ruakura conference that he had great* faith in the selection of

beef cattle on growth rate and was hopeful that it would pay off as well as selection of dairy cattle on performance.

Mr R. M. Gallagher, a technical* officer at Ruakura, told the farmers’ conference last week thqt the beef breeder and dairy farmer were alike in that while the dairy farmer sells butterfat by the pound the beef breeder sells meat by the pound and in each case production per acre is the index of efficiency. “Accordingly, whether selling weaners or fats, good weaning weights are the key to maximum returns, and good milking cows are the prime essential of heavy weaners,” he said. “Growth after weaning is independent of weaning weight so a 5501 b weaner after gaining 6001 b in the next 12 months is ready for slaughter, but a 4001 b weaner even after gaining 6001 b is still too light to kill before that economically critical second winter.

“With meat production per acre in mind it is suggested that commercial beef breeders follow the lead taken by their dairy counterparts 10 years ago and select their bulls on production characteristics, that is to say on •weight-for-age.’ Obviously commercial men are quite aware of its value, for at bull sales the heavier the bull that- enters the ring the higher the price that is paid for him. This policy, is sound only to a degree for it does not take into account many factors such as Variations in nutrition or the ‘crimes’ of nurse cows and special feeding of ’poor doers’.’’

Selecting Stud Mr Gallagher outlined a course of action for the farmer in selecting a beef bull. Care should be taken, he said, in selecting the stud from which it was intended to buy. It should be one where at least the breeding cows were run on cattle country as a commercial herd. It should have birth dates, weaning weights, and subsequent weights available and these must be studied before ever looking at the bulls, for there was a serious risk of taking a fancy to a bull before enough was known about him to make an intelligent evaluation. Unfortunately he knew of only seven studs which had these records available, but they offered some 330 bulls for sale annually. With these figures it was necessary to evaluate each bull to take advantage of the large genetic variations for growth which existed within studs. Figures could be corrected for age by adding or subtracting l|lb per day as a weaner and lib a day as a year-

ling for each day older or younger than the average. , Where the stud average weaning age was 270 days and bull A’s weaning age was 274 days, the indication was that his mother probably got in calf to the first mating. That his weight at weaning at, 4901 b was 301 b better than average and 241 b better after making the age correction indicated that his mother was a better than average milker. Nd New Zealand data was yet available on the relationship of milk production to weaning weight but overseas work suggested that about 70 per cent. . of differences in weaning weight were due to variations in the milking ability of the dam. Milking ability was very important, for it was known that the heaviest weaners were still the heaviest animals a year later. Ability To Grow The figures which showed that as a yearling bull “A” weighed 5951 b, which was 501 b better than average and 461 b better after the required age correction, and 1051 b better than average at 21 months showed that the animal, in addition to having a good mother, had good genetic ability to grow and was the type of herd sire needed if 6001 b carcases were to

be produced under two years of age.

On this basis, about six of the best bulls should be selected, remembering that adjustments needed to be made, particularly to weaning weights, for the birth date and age of the dam. Cows between five and nine years of age should produce their heaviest weaners. For example, a three-year-old's weaner would be about 301 b lighter than average. These six best weight-for-age bulls should then be closely inspected for bad characteristics like poor jaws or bad feet, tendencies which were both strongly inherited. A careful watch should be kept for the animal whose feet had been trimmed. If they needed trimming at two years of age how bad would they be when he

or his daughters were 10 • years old?

If a Hereford was being bought, an animal with a “Cherry Eye” should be selected. Recent work had shown that eye cancer was rare in Herefords with well pigmented eye lids and could be reduced to a negligible level by breeding from such animals. Next, temperament should be studied as there was ample evidence that it was quite strongly inherited and there was a suggestion that docile animals tended to fatten more quickly and yield a better quality carcase, apart from ease of handling. Having narrowed the field to one or two it was now worthwhile inspecting the sires, and, if possible, the dams before making the final selection. There was room

for consideration of type or conformation in the final selection from the small group inspected, but there was this thought—“you are breeding beef, not beauty.” Finally, and by no means least important, a purchase should be made subject to a fertility guarantee, about which advice could be obtained from the local veterinarian.

A bull selected in this way was going to cost more, said Mr Gallagher, but quite apart from the long-term effects of the. heifers left in the breeding herd, if the 140 calves that could be expected by this bull over five years were an average of 151 b heavier than average at weaning their extra value would be about £l4O.