J. Anim Sci.
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J. Anim Sci. 1946. 5:194-199.
© 1946 American Society of Animal Science
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Heritability of Live Animal Scores, Grades, and Certain Carcass Characteristics in Beef Cattle

Bradford Knapp, Jr. and Arne W. Nordskog1

United States Department of Agriculture and Montana Agricultural Experiment Station

Abstract

A study was made of the record of 177 steer calves from 23 sires at the U. S. Range Livestock Experiment Station to estimate the relative effect of heredity on score at weaning, slaughter grade, carcass grade, dressing percentage, and area of cross-section of eye muscle. The animals used were the same as those used for a previous study on weight and gains. Heritability was estimated by the use of the paternal half-sib correlation from analysis of variance and in addition from the sire:offspring regression in the case of score at weaning.

Heritabilities obtained by intra-sire correlations for the characteristics studied were: Score at weaning 53 percent, slaughter grade 63 percent,carcass grade 84 percent, dressing percentage 1 percent, and area of eye muscle 69 percent. The regression of score at weaning of progeny on sire was negative (b=–0.07) and was not significantly different from zero. Heritability was therefore, not significant.

It was concluded that though there seems to be less heritability in the measures of quality of product than in the measures of growth, there is ample opportunity for selection for these characteristics.

Footnotes

1 The authors are Animal Husbandman, Bureau of Animal Industry, and Associate Professor, Montana Agricul-tural Experiment Station, respectively. The authors wish to express their appreciation to A. L. Baker, J. R. Quesenberry, R. T. Clark, W. H. Black and O. G. Hankins foe their participation in collecting the data used herein.






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Copyright © 1946 by the American Society of Animal Science.