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Associations among Conformation Scores, among Body Measurements and the Relations between Scores and Measurements in Yearling Steers^{1, 2,}

University of Nevada, Reno

C. E. Shelby and R. T. Clark

Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Denver, Colorado

Abstract

An experiment involving 98 steers was conducted over a 2-year period to investigate relations among conformation scores, among body measurements and between body measurements and conformation scores.

1. A single total score appears to be as useful in evaluating an animal's conformation as is a detailed score card evaluating various components.
   
2. Repeatability of scores from the beginning and end of the fattening period was between 0.50 and 0.76, except for score for feet and legs, which was insignificant.
   
3. Heart girth appears to be a more suitable measure of size than body weight for studies of growth and form.
   
4. The ratio chest width x 100/heart girth was not correlated with any of the other measures or ratios. Correlations of round and of body length with other measures or ratios were generally low. Correlations among the remaining measures were generally high. The correlations between measurements taken before and after fattening were high for weight, height at withers, height at hooks, chest width, hooks width, heart girth, and the ratio height at withers x 100/heart girth, and low for the remaining measures and ratios.
   

¹ This work was conducted in operation with the Animal Husbandry Research Division, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, under Western Regional Project W-1 on beef cattle breeding research. Co-operation of the Agricultural Economics Department, University of Nevada is hereby acknowledged. The authors are particularly indebted to Howard G. Mason, Agricultural Economics Professor Emeritus. The assistance of the Nevada Meat Packing Company, Reno, the Sparks Meat Company, Sparks, and the Peoples Packing Company, Yerington, is gratefully acknowledged.

² The original data and detailed tabular material have been published separately as Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin 204, 1959, Relations Among Conformation Scores, Body Measurements and Production Factors of Yearling Steers.

³ Present address: Science Department, Reno High School, Reno, Nevada.