Estimates of Genetic and Phenotypic Parameters in Beef Cattle

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Heritability of a number of important economic traits in beef cattle was estimated from records on 424 calves, the progeny of 38 sires, raised over a 6-year period at the Virginia Station. Estimates obtained from paternal half-sib correlations were, for the steers: Weight at 6 months, 0.08; feeder grade, 0.41; daily gain in feedlot, 0.38; feed efficiency, 0.99; slaughter grade, 0.45; and, carcass grade, 0.16. For the heifers these were: Weight at 6 months, 0.69; feeder grade, 0.51; daily gain on pasture, 0.54; and, yearling feeder grade, 0.17. Heritability estimates calculated from regression of progeny average on sires' records were, for the steers: Feeder grade, 0.16; daily gain in feedlot, 0.21; feed efficiency, 0.22; slaughter grade, 0.07; and, for the heifers they were: Feeder grade, 0.63; daily gain on pasture, 0.20. Estimates calculated from intra-sire regression of offspring on dam were, for the steers; Feeder grade, 0.07; daily gain, 0.40; and, for the heifers they were: Feeder grade, zero; daily gain on pasture, 0.57; and,yearling feeder grade, 0.32. Copyright © . .

This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit: