Livestock and Poultry Evaluation

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Livestock and Poultry Evaluation

• Animal Science II

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Performance Data Beef Cattle

• Reproductive performance
• Conception rate
• Calf crop percentage (born)
• Calf crop percentage (weaned)
• Calving interval
• length of time between calving for each cow in
  the herd that is breeding age

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Performance Data Beef Cattle

• Reproductive performance
• Birth weight related to calving difficulty
• Fertility testing of bulls
• should be tested before each breeding season

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Performance Data Beef Cattle

• Calving difficulty score
• 1- No difficulty. No assistance
• 2- Minor difficulty. Some assistance
• 3- Major difficulty. Mechanical assistance
• 4- Cesarean birth or other surgery
• 5- Abnormal presentation

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Performance Data Beef Cattle

• Bull Performance
• Information varies from breeder to breeder
• 15-20 different types of data
• Average daily gain
• Scrotum circumference

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Performance Data Beef Cattle

• Growth and Gain Performance
• Weaning weights adjusted to 205 days
• Yearling (365 days) and long yearlings (452 or
  550)
• Post weaning rate of gain (minimum of 140 days on
  test)
• Weight per day of age

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Performance Data Beef Cattle

• Weaning Weights adjusted to 205
• standard basis

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Performance Data Swine

• Sow Productivity
• Fertility (number of pigs per litter)
• Litter weight at weaning
• best overall measure of sow productivity because
  it is affected by the number of pigs weaned and
  milk production

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Performance Data Swine

• Growth Rate
• Adjusted days to 230 pounds
• Rate of gainpounds of gain on test/ days on test
• Feed efficiency amount of feed/ amount of gain
• Carcass merit
• Backfat thickness (less is better)
• Loin-eye area
• Percentage of lean cuts

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Performance Records Poultry

• Past performance
• Pedigree
• Gives records of ancestors
• Present performance on individuals and siblings
• Rate of gain and feed efficiency

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Production Records

• Heritability Estimates
• Vary by trait ranging from 0 to 70
• Fertility is 0 to 10 percent
• management affect more than genetics
• Loin-eye area is fastest improved by selective
  breeding
• 70 in cattle
• 50 in swine

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Production Records

• Sow productivity index
• uses a formula that included the number of live
  pigs born and adjusted 21-day litter weight for
  individual sow comparison

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Production Records

• Use of Data Records
• In most cases the highest number is better
• Exceptions
• birth weight
• calving difficulty
• backfat thickness in swine

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Production Records

• Estimated Breeding Value (EPV)
• Estimate of the animal true breeding ability
• Expressed as a percentage to the average of the
  animal to which the bull is compared
• 105 is 5 above the average
• 95 is 5 below the average

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Production Records

• Expected Progeny Difference (EPD)
• Bulls can only transmit 1/2 of its superiority as
  shown on its EPV.
• If the EPV is 106 that is (106-1006) which is
  then halved to make three percent (6/23)
• Females transmit the other half

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Production Records

• Pedigree Index (PI)
• The closer the animal is to the bull being
  evaluated the more effect their performance
  traits have

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Poultry Production Records

• The type of record use to select by pedigree are
  past performance records
• Present performance records are used to select
  physical appearance

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Judging Livestock

• Physical Characteristics
• Confirmation
• Appearance including frame size, fat, etc.
• Structural soundness
• More important today because of confinement
  operations with concrete floors
• Especially swine and dairy

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Judging Livestock

• Commercial producers are more interested in
  performance records while breeders are concerned
  with pedigrees and breed characteristics

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Judging Poultry

• Most producers have no input in selection because
  they are contract farmers
• Broilers
• Must be healthy and well fleshed with normal
  conformation to produce a grade A carcass dressed

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Judging Laying Hens

• Laying hens are evaluated on the ability to
  produce eggs
• Things to consider
• Present production
• Past production
• Rate of production

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Judging Laying Hens

• Present production
• Large bright red comb
• Softy waxy comb
• Bright eyes

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Judging Laying Hens

• Past Production
• Production indicated by yellow pigment left in
  the body
• The more eggs produced results in less pigment
• A soft pliable abdomen and moist enlarged and
  bleached vent indicates that the hen is currently
  in production

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Judging Laying Hens

• Pigment bleaches beginning in
• vent
• eye ring
• ear lobe
• beak starting at the base
• front shanks
• rear shanks
• tops of toes
• hock joint

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Ready to Cook Broilers and Turkeys

• USDA grades A, B, C
• determined by
• Confirmation
• Exposed flesh on breast and other parts
• Missing parts
• Broken and dislocated joints

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Ready to Cook Broilers and Turkeys

• Factor A B C
• Exposed Flesh
• Breast None
• Elsewhere 1 ½ inch
• Disjointed and
• broken bones
• Missing Parts

1/3 flesh on each part
No Limit
1 disjointed no broken
2 disjointed no broken
No Limit
To the second wing joint
Wing tip and tail
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Grading Eggs

• Interior quality determined by candling
• AA, A, B or Reject
• Bloody eggs are rejected
• Exterior quality
• A, B or Dirty
• Any surface matter grades dirty

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Grading Eggs

• Interior quality (air cell size)
• AA- 1/8 (dime)
• A- 3/16 (nickel)
• B- Over 3/16 (quarter)