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Research Project: Germplasm Evaluation and Conservation in Beef Cattle

Location: U.S. Meat Animal Research Center
Genetics and Breeding Research

Title: Comparison of Calves of Longhorn and Red Poll Sires and Crossbred Dams Calving at 2 and 3 Years of Age

Authors
item Liu, X. - UNIV. OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN
item Marquez, Adolfo - UNIV. NEBRASKA-LINCOLN
item Cundiff, Larry
item Van Vleck, Lloyd - dale

Submitted to: Professional Animal Scientist
Publication Acceptance Date: February 4, 2004
Publication Date: August 1, 2004
Publisher's URL: http://www.arpas.org
Citation: Liu, X.H., Marquez, A.P., Cundiff, L.V., Van Vleck, L.D. 2004. Comparison Of Calves Of Longhorn And Red Poll Sires And Crossbred Dams Calving At 2 And 3 Years Of Age. Professional Animal Scientist. 20:330-335.

Interpretive Summary: Calving difficulty can be a significant problem in beef production, particularly in females calving at young ages. Results from the Germplasm Evaluation (GPE) project at the U.S Meat Animal Research Center have indicated that progeny of Longhorn and Red Poll sire breeds have lighter birth weights and less calving difficulty than progeny of other sire breeds, but comparisons have only involved calves of cows calving at 4 years of age or older which normally experience less calving difficulty. The primary objective of this experiment was to compare directly Longhorn and Red Poll as sire breeds for calving ease, growth rate and carcass characteristics of slaughter progeny resulting from matings to crossbred females calving at 2 and 3 years of age. For calving difficulty, Longhorn sires had a significant advantage over Red Poll sires in matings to crossbred females calving at 2 years of age but the sire breed difference was negligible and not significant in matings to females calving at 3 years of age. However, weaning and slaughter weights were significantly greater in Red Poll than Longhorn sired progeny from both 2- and 3-year old females. No significant differences were found for carcass characteristics between the two sire breeds except for greater adjusted fat thickness in progeny of Red Poll than Longhorn sires at both female ages, less kidney-pelvic-heart fat in progeny of Red Poll than Longhorn sires from females calving at 2 years of age, and a greater percentage of bone in progeny of Longhorn than Red Poll sires from females calving at 3 years of age.

Technical Abstract: Calving difficulty, survival from birth to weaning, birth weight, and weaning weight of 167 calves and carcass traits of 88 calves (63 for adjusted fat thickness) were compared for progeny of Red Poll and Longhorn bulls mated to crossbred cows that calved at 2 yr and 3 yr of age. Results indicated that calves of Longhorn sires required 28% less assistance at calving than calves of Red Poll sires and females calving at 2 year of age (P < .01), but there was no difference between Red Poll and Longhorn sired calves for calving difficulty with 3 year old cows. Calves of Red Poll bulls as compared to calves of Longhorn bulls had significantly greater birth weight, weaning weight, live slaughter weight, hot carcass weight, adjusted fat thickness and kidney fat percentage when dams were two-year-old cows. Significant differences due to sire breed were found only for adjusted fat thickness and bone percentage of calves of 3-yr-old cows. There was a significant interaction between sire breed and age of cow for calving difficulty. That interaction for other traits was not significant. Within sire breed, calving difficulty of 2-yr-old cows was greater than of 3-yr-old cows, and calves of 2-yr-old cows also had significantly less weaning weight than calves of 3-yr-old cows (P < .01).

 
Project Team
Cundiff, Larry
Van Vleck, Lloyd - Dale
Snowder, Gary

Publications

Related National Programs
  Food Animal Production (101)

 
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