Author:
Burrow H. M.,Dillon R. D.
Abstract
Summary. Two cohorts of
Bos indicus crossbreds were studied to determine the
relationships between temperament and growth in a feedlot and commercial
carcass characteristics. Prior to entry to the feedlot, one cohort received
intensive, short-term training at weaning but minimal handling before and
after weaning, while the second cohort received similar training at weaning
and also experienced a 4-month period of relatively intense handling
immediately before entering the feedlot. Both cohorts entered the feedlot at
similar ages. Temperament was recorded as the animal’s flight speed,
which is the time taken for the animal to cover 1.7 m after leaving a weighing
crush, with fast times indicating animals that have poor temperaments.
Average flight speed scores of animals in the 2 cohorts differed
substantially, with 51 and 12% of animals in cohorts 1 and 2
respectively having fast flight speed scores. Conversely, 23 and 69% of
animals in cohorts 1 and 2 respectively had slow flight speed scores and could
therefore be regarded as docile. In the first cohort, animals with slow flight
speeds gained weight more rapidly (P<0.05) to achieve
heavier slaughter and carcass weights (P<0.05) than
animals with fast flight speeds. The relationship between flight speed and
growth in the feedlot in the second cohort was not significant, although
animals with the fastest flight speeds in that cohort had the lowest
liveweight gains. Docile animals in both cohorts had comparable liveweight
gains in the feedlot. These results suggest that animals with slow flight
speed scores (good temperaments) may grow faster in a feedlot than animals
with faster flight speed scores (poorer temperaments), regardless of whether
the favourable scores result from intensive, long-term handling or because the
animals are naturally docile. There was no relationship in either experiment
between flight speed and fat thickness or carcass bruising, when bruising was
scored simply as presence or absence of bruising. A negative relationship was
evident between flight speed score and dressing percentage in the second
cohort (P<0.05). The relationship between flight
speed and dressing percentage was not significant in the first cohort.
It is suggested that feedlot operators could select potential feedlot animals
on the basis of temperament before entry to the feedlot to improve performance
in the feedlot.
Subject
General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Cited by
118 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献