J. Anim Sci.
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J. Anim Sci. 1969. 29:426-428.
© 1969 American Society of Animal Science
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Estimation of Body Composition in Young Calves1,2,

R. C. Waldman3, W. J. Tyler and V. H. Brungardt

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Abstract

Thirty Holstein and six Hereford calves were used to study the association of certain live and carcass traits with carcass composition. Calves were slaughtered at birth, 91 and 227 kg. live weight. All six Hereford calves were slaughtered at 227 kilograms. Left side fat, bone and muscle weights were determined by physical dissection. Specific gravity of the left side of 14 Holstein calf carcasses was measured to study the value of this technique in estimating carcass composition. Regression equations were developed to estimate carcass fat, bone and muscle from live and carcass traits.

Shrunk live weight, left side weight, separable bone and percent ether extract were highly correlated with dissected fat and muscle weights. Left side specific gravity and percent protein were not significantly related to weights of tissue components.

Regression analyses demonstrated that left side weight exerted a greater influence on tissue component variations than any of the traits studied. Left side weight was associated with 93.9, 95.0 and 99.3% of the variation in separable fat, bone and muscle, respectively. Shrunk live weight estimated 92.0, 95.6 and 98.4% of the variance in fat, bone and muscle, respectively.

The close association between tissue components and live weight of calves observed in this study should offer producers and researchers a reasonable estimate of the carcass composition of animals in this weight range.

Footnotes

1 This work was supported (in part) by U.S.D.A. Research and Service Contract 12-14-100-7728 (44) from the Animal Husbandry Research Division, A.R.S. and by Oscar Mayer and Company.

2 Published with the approval of the Director of the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station. Departments of Meat and Animal Science, Manuscript No. 545 and Dairy Science.

3 Present address: Food Products Division, Union Carbide Corporation, Chicago, Illinois.






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Copyright © 1969 by the American Society of Animal Science.