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Optimum Length of Feeding Period in Selecting for Gain of Beef Cattle¹

Iowa State University, Ames^{3, 4}

Abstract

The ability to gain weight rapidly is one of several valuable economic traits in beef cattle. Increased rate of gain has definite economic value because of its association with economy of gain and because many of the costs of production are on a per head or per unit of time basis. The cost of evaluating this trait would be reduced if the post-weaning evalaution period could be shortened with little loss of information about the breeding values of the animals.

The data used in this study have been described in an earlier paper (Swiger, 1961). That paper presented an evaluation of the effects of year, sex, and age of the dam on birth weight, and of these variables plus age of the calf at weaning on weaning weight and gain in each of five successive 28-day periods following weaning. A high concentrate ration was fed free choice for 140 days beginning immediately after weaning.

¹ This paper represents part of a dissertation submitted by the senior author to the Graduate School, Iowa State University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Breeding. Acknowledgement is made to C. E. Haigler for use of the data.

² Present address: U. S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal Husbandry Research Division, Beef Cattle Research Branch, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska.

³ Journal Paper No. J-3970 of the Iowa Agricultural and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames, Iowa. Project No. 1055.

⁴ Contribution from the North Central Regional Project NC-1.

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