Download
1 / 4
40 likes | 148 Views
Learn about key factors and traits to consider in animal breeding such as prolific birth rates, mothering ability, carcass quality, and more in selecting the right breed for production or market animals.
E N D
Production Traits – Breeding Animals • Prolific – number of animals born at one time. • Mothering ability – ability to produce enough milk for the offspring. • Soundness – strength of feet & legs. • Weaning Weight – size of calf at weaning time. • Longevity – life span of the animal
Production Traits – Market Animals • Lean Ratio – Amount of fat compared to the amount of meat. • Muscling – Quality of meat on the animal. • Carcass Quality – Quality of meat in terms of marbling. • Rate of gain – pounds gained per day. • Feed Efficiency – pounds of feed needed to put on one pound of weight.
Breed Selection Factors • 1 – Production traits - breeding / market (from previous slides) • 2 – Cost of the breed – bulls / semen straws may cost more for certain breeds. • 3 – Environmental Conditions – certain breeds do better in warmer environments – look up Brahma cattle in GOOGLE. • 4 – Personal Preference- some people like black hair on cattle – some people like white. Example:Blake Eisenbeisz vs. Calvin & Gary Sandmeier • 5 – Purpose of the animal – Is this animal for pleasure, work, breeding, etc.?
