Open AccessEffect of easy calving beef sires on the birth weight and growth of dairy beef cattle
Author(s) -
V. T. Burggraaf,
D.B. Lineham
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
grassland research and practice series
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2463-4751
pISSN - 0110-8581
DOI - 10.33584/rps.16.2016.3250
Subject(s) - ice calving , zoology , beef cattle , biology , semen , pregnancy , lactation , genetics
The impact of using high genetic merit beef bulls in a dairy beef supply chain was compared to using unrecorded beef bulls. Dairy cows were inseminated with Ezicalve Hereford semen (high genetic merit for calving ease and growth), followed by natural mating with Ezicalve and unrecorded Hereford bulls. The resulting 186 progeny were monitored from birth to 2 years old. Ezicalve sired calves required no calving assistance and averaged 4 kg lighter at birth than those from unrecorded sires (P