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Influence of Age, Breed, Flesh Condition, Nursing, and Season on Weight and Grade of Beef Cattle

Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station Blacksburg

Abstract

The influence of age, breed, flesh condition, nursing, and season on the weights and grades of 1,500 bulls of four breeds and 1,828 cows of two breeds were estimated by least squares analysis. Bulls ranged in age from 11 months to 11 years and cows from 16 months to 18 years. The bulls were approximately equally divided between two age groups, 11–24 months and over 24 months. Approximately one-half of the cows in each breed were over 6 years of age. Each breed was analyzed separately.

The relative influence of the effects studied varied considerably among the four breeds and two age groups. In the younger age group of bulls (11–24 months) the factors studied accounted for approximately 70 to 80% of the total variance in weight and 30 to 56% in grade. Corresponding values for the older bulls (2–11 years) were 35 to 48% for weight and 17 to 49% for grade, depending on the breed in question. These factors accounted for approximately 62 to 68% of the variance in cow weights and 29 to 32% of the variation in cow grades.

Age had the greatest single influence on weight among the younger animals, whereas the primary influence among the older animals was flesh condition. Angus cattle were lighter than the other breeds at all ages. This difference amounted to approximately 150 lb. between the bulls and 100 lb. between the cows at maturity and was highly significant. There was essentially no difference in grades between the breeds studied.

The primary influence of both season and nursing appeared to be on flesh condition. Consequently, when condition was ignored, season and/or nursing accounted for a large fraction of the total variance; but when condition was held constant, their influence was of only minor importance, except for the influence of season on the grade of Polled Hereford and older Horned Hereford bulls.

Age was not an important source of variaton in grade within the Angus and Hereford breeds. It accounted for approximately 11% of the variance among the Shorthorn bulls, however. Differences in flesh condition was the major source of variation in grade within all breeds and age groups.

¹ Associate Professor of Animal Husbandry and Associate Professor of Statistics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, Virginia, and Official Classifier, American Angus Association, Goshen, Virginia, respectively.

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