Foot scores of cattle 1. Variation among subjective scores of Angus cattle from different herds and sire groups

Abstract

Foot scores of cattle of about 20 months of age were recorded for 577 Angus bulls and heifers born in 1979 (year 1) on 10 farms, and for 450 similar cattle born in 1980 (year 2) on 8 farms, 7 farms being in common. Cattle were scored in dirt yards for back feet and front feet structure separately. Two scorers produced repeatable results: after allowing for fixed effects the residual correlation between their 2 sets of s~ores was 0.64. Scores obtained for front v. hind feet were positively related, correlations ranging from 0.44 to 0.49. For the main effects on foot score, there were significant effects of herd in year 1 (P<O.OI), but they were significant according to only one scorer in year 2 (P=0.05). Calf sex, age of dam, and age of calf were not significant sources of variation. The residual correlation between weaning weight and foot score was 0.09. Three of 6 regression estimates of foot score on weaning weight were significant (P < 0.05), the average of 6 estimates being +0.38 (J per 100 kg. Heritability estimates were: for weaning weight, adjusted for age, 0.18±0.1O; for feet and leg scores, 0.24±0.I 1 (front), 0.06±0.06 (back), and 0.14±0.09 (combined). A large contribution to variation in front feet score derived from one sire. Sire variation for foot scores of progeny was not as important a source of variation as herd variation, but it was repeatable between scorers. Average scores of progeny by sires bred in unregistered and registered Angus herds were similar.

Foot scores of cattle 2. Relationships among measurements of feet from slaughtered steers from eight sire groups

“…In a previous study of genetic variation of foot structure in cattle in 1981 (Morris et al 1985) heritability estimates of visual scores were obtained from over 1000 New Zealand Angus bulls and heifers comprising 42 sire groups, at about 20 months of age. The estimates were 0.24 ± 0.11 for front feet and 0.06 ±0.06 for back foot structure compared with a value of 0.18 ± 0.10 for weanin~ weight from the same data.…”

Untersuchungen zur Bedeutung und Quantifizierung der Klauenqualität und Moderhinkeresistenz beim Schaf

“…Claw judgements can be made by visual scores as well as objectively measured traits . Objective claw measurements have lower coefficients of variation than subjective claw scores (Hahn et al, 1984a;Morris et al, 1985;Ral, 1990). In this study various objective claw measurements were used .…”