rr% ' % !t£!£^^ nLSSStftS, being tested should be full-fed after wean- Quesenberry, 1951). [71 constructed to minimize error from waste of feed. Some shelter may be neces- sary during stormy weather. The ration should be simple, prac- tical, and in keeping with feeds available. Ground barley, dried molasses beet pulp, cottonseed cake or meal, salt, and bone meal will be suitable in most areas. Hay should be part cereal and part legume. Be careful to feed high-quality hay that has a good green color to prevent Vita- min-A deficiency. Hay can be fed free choice and either chopped or long. Here is a suggested ration: 60 lb. ground barley 30 lb. molasses beet pulp 10 lb. cottonseed cake 41-43 per cent 1 lb. salt 1 lb. bone meal Record the weight of feed fed each group daily, and summarize actual con- sumption at 28- or 30-day intervals. This includes hay as well as concentrates. Feed concentrates at the rate of l 1 /^ pounds of concentrate to every 100 pounds of live weight when animals are on full feed. For example, a 600-lb. bull would receive 9 pounds of concentrates per head daily. The concentrate feed should be adjusted at the beginning of each 30-day test period. Another procedure is to maintain the same proportion of concentrate and roughage constant for all lots. This may be more desirable for standardizing the feed and interpreting the data. A good ratio would be 60 per cent concentrate, 40 per cent roughage. This avoids forc- ing a group with a high feed capacity to eat a larger proportion of roughage of lower nutritive value, which affects ap- parent over-all efficiency in terms of total feed. For the present, limit feed-lot test- ing to the dry lot. Feed consumed while grazing on pasture cannot be accurately measured. Bulls to be tested should be of about the same age. Use only animals grading 2- and better. Weigh and grade them at the beginning of the test, which will in most cases be after they are on full feed, or about 2 weeks after weaning. Weigh and grade carefully and uniformly. If they have not been creep-fed, take about two weeks to bring them to full feed. Feed them twice daily, separately, by sire groups or individually. For sig- nificant results in sire groups, eight ani- mals are about the minimum number to feed. In some cases smaller numbers may be fed. When the bulls are on full feed at the beginning of the test, stand them over- night in a dry lot without feed or water. Weigh the next morning early (about 6 a.m.) before feeding. This will be the initial weight. At the end of the feeding tests and for each 30-day period, follow the same weighing procedure as at the be- ginning. Record both the United States Slaughter Grade and the University of California Grade. Weigh and grade at the end of each 30 days of feeding. The grading at the beginning and end should be done very carefully; some help from a specialist may be desirable. Try to feed all the animals to the same degree of market finish, which should be the low- choice grade. Usually about a 150-day feeding period will be required to reach such a grade. Some animals finish sooner than others. If considerable variation occurs within a sire group, individuals may be removed from the test when they have attained the desired degree of finish and the remainder continued. This top- ping-out gives a truer evaluation of aver- age efficiency because continued feeding of already fat animals will pull down the average. At the close of the feeding test sum- marize the data and prepare a narrative report. Reports should be as uniform as possible. One similar to the report on the feeding test conducted in Monterey County by Albaugh, Guilbert, and Muii is a suggested sample. This report is available in each farm advisor's office. Other tables may be added. This will de- [8] pend on the needs of the individual, ranch, or county. After the data have been summarized, a meeting should be held to acquaint local cattlemen with the beef-improve- ment program and to present the results of the experiment. Conformation and type grade should be emphasized as well as rate of gain and feed utilization. Limited feeding in the bull-indexing program . . . The heritability of the gains made by bulls on a limited-feeding program is not known. Considerably more research needs to be done before we will know if bulls can be adequately indexed on this basis. To breeders who have expressed interest in the possibilities of limited feeding of prospective herd sires, we sug- gest the following method. (In this con- nection it is advisable to work closely with the Extension Service and the Uni- versity, so that you may get as much in- formation as possible.) The ultimate objective is to deter- mine the correlation between the gains made by a prospective herd sire on lim- ited feeding of concentrate and the gains of his progeny on full feed. If such a correlation were high enough one might use the limited-feeding program in index- ing bulls as an aid to selecting herd sires. The immediate objective is to de- termine the variation in rates of gain and feed efficiency of limited-fed bulls. If little variation between bulls is ob- tained, it would be hard to select accu- rately the most rapidly gaining and most efficient bull. In this case it would prob- ably be unnecessary to carry the studies further. If, however, it is possible to obtain rather large differences in rates of gain and feed efficiency between limited-fed bulls, it would be well to pursue the prob- lem further, to determine the capacity of these bulls for transmitting their ability to gain. Take these four steps: 1. Select as many young bulls as possible from the progeny of one sire. 2. Feed individually if possible, using the rate given in the next paragraph. 3. Carry all bulls to the same degree of finish, probably low-good. 4. Determine the variation in rates of gain and efficiency of feed-utilization be- tween bulls. The rate of limited feeding should be — concentrate, 1.0 pound per 100 pounds of body weight; hay, free choice. The concentrate allowance of the lim- ited-fed bulls is enough to meet their maintenance requirement for TDN. Un- der such a feeding program, therefore, the ability of the bulls to utilize a high roughage-low concentrate ration is being determined. This is an important consid- eration in feeding ruminants. Do your results justify continued study? If you feel that the difference in rates of gain between bulls is enough to war- rant further investigation, we recom- mend the following steps: 1. Breed as many of the tested bulls as possible to comparable cows so that at least 10 steer progeny from each bull will be available for progeny-testing. 2. Group-feed the progeny of each sire on a full-feeding program to choice slaugh- ter condition. 3. Keep as accurate records as possible on rates of gain and efficiency of feed utilization. 4. Make records available to the Univer- sity for determination of the heritability estimates. Such estimates will enable you to determine if the gaining ability of the sire on limited feed is a good indication of the gaining ability of his progeny on full feed. On pages 10 to 19 are shown the forms you will use in keeping your herd records. [9] 1- j Ul in I X U) O _i Ul VI u. M u a o P4 o z (V T3 z ce < O Ul £ bo u. o Ul 1- S £ bo < - o -3 o a 3 - ! I II Oi O: o; \t t %i \ OO 2 3 I I 1 II JO :0 if I ! i if i ,°J 2~- «3°<2 ^•J o I <=! g s si r i i On this page is reproduced the front side of a typical Individual Life Record of Dam. At left is a fascimile of a Field Sheet form. Its use is described on page 6. [ii] ■o Q „ a i «J. - 1 9 i « R « s n s • K K £ ^ ^ N 5* a S tn J ^ t *5 it CM <5 u si " 3 _2 a a cc •O **■ JO « "! ' |£ CNJ Cn| Q w j j „ 8 g c u s Q •I « A « 9 8 5 i Q H 3 I 1 i iJ * ? 5 % s 1 s u « „ £ -J c S §1 si <=>! 03 1 o * u oi in : m a. s £ ^ > a q §1 o 1 ..ON L° ^ « ••« : : t« i 2, o •; o c;u o 8|5| mu o o;a.-Q:o.pa; : :3d; i - a- s* ^ i w u Si §' S > s : £ <">! «»: O; °i i S X>: ■©: 1-.; z; < ! ^! _ _i 0.1 *>i I lb o 3 I 1 I j § "3 £j £L| q| j £; 3 1 8 J J o; o; e; S| i VJ K( OS K 6 S| £ £ O: ui <_>; c u! =>;' 3: 3J 3 3! a J e u s t| Ot "»j Wl p- jn -j co £ •O; r-| I-, >© < § 5-? o! J J B > »: "": eo; eo; eo: eo: 00 ■oi eo — ! — ' — j — 1 ; — ; — ' — ! — ' — ; — : 1 eoj oi I i I i 5 < u cn< CNJ CNJ cn N | «n| m | 1 | A •*< &\ Ull Si II §i Rj g § CN; CNj «-| CN 0; mi oi I 0; - 8; Sj Si i 8j !S ' I i 1 1 1 ; i 1 0; 0; 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 j ; — ; CN : III II 1 II II I oj § Si £ I! § $u oi eo! o; r^ m| M oj j mj co; ! ol mj i 1 I = -2 a "o 1 O: X; eoi SI In s>: -j R! 1 1 : -: co : I eo: m: 1: 0: co : : : : -o- m; 03: r>.: •0: a "Sw a> co eoi ! oo eo j co| oi • •i 4 : i Oi i 1 1 1 MM s-3 8 S*l mi : -o; eo; eo; >o; : r-.: : | s MiM I * a mi m; m; 0; m; m| m; Si «! 1 f~; -O: CN: CM: -} : — : CO; IA: O: •«r: NT: m: m; m; m: •»; Ij m: 1 1 1 1 1 F"I cNi eoi .-: o| cn: r^i 0: Si eoi co m co r~ m co «o E* •*•; CN: CN: CN: CN: CN: CN: CN: *: CNj *e j] I oi oi o| 0; oi 0; Oi Oi Oi Oi J Vi 1 ; ; ; M ! I ; j j 1 : 1 : H 1 for Yea Addre j j 1 1 1 1 !! 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ! 1 1 I 1 1 1 ilf Crop x of Get svner anr <3°s £ Si ft| CN \ «| 2| Si l| j mi j | | | j j j | j j | | | c X C jU 3 ! s eo: 0: cn a; s] k s Oi • ■ ■ • • • O: ::::::: : ::::::::::: cn. m 1^ :::::::::::::::: iiajajj||!!!|ij||j!ii!l| Here is a typical Get of Sire Record form. Its use is described on page 7 [13] ■5 8 I I ft, o t ft. 1 ^ » «3 c« < O £ < S | || < 6 £ £ § £ £ £ O o - o c c> I ft o 6 3 Here is the back side of the Get of Sire Record— the following pages explain the entries. [14] GET OF SIRE RECORD Column Example 1. Tattoo number of calf 163 2. Date of birth 1/10/48 3. Birth weight 65 lb. 4. Date weaned 7/5/48 5. Weaning age in days (actual number of days from date of birth to weaning date) . Use numerical day calendar 177 6. Weight in pounds (actual weight on day of weaning) 435 7. Daily gain from 70-pound birthweight (or actual birth weight) 2.06 Weaning weight (col. 5, minus 70) , .. -g B — -— = average daily gain Weaning age (col. 4) Example: 435 2.06 -70 177)365.00 354 365 1100 1062 38 8. Adjusted 240-day weaning weight 564 Average daily gain (col. 6) x 240 + 70 = adjusted 240-day weight Example: 2.06 494 x 240 +70 8240 564 412 494.40 9. Rating on weights and gain -20 This is determined from the average adjusted 240-day weaning weight of either all of the bull calves, or all of the heifer calves in the herd. This average adjusted 240-day weaning weight of all bull or heifer calves is secured by : (a) the total of the adjusted 240-day weaning weight (col. 7) for all bull calves in the herd, divided by the number of bull calves weighed. or (b) the total of the adjusted 240-day weaning weight (col. 7) for all heifer calves in the herd, divided by the number of heifer calves weighed. [15 1 Each individual calfweight (col. 7) is then rated a + (plus) or minus (-) with the number of pounds above or below the average adjusted 240-day weaning weight for all bull or heifer calves. The terms "excellent" and "good" may be used for those with a plus, and "fair" or "poor" for those with a minus. Example : Adjusted weaning weight for entire bull calf herd 584 lb. -564 lb. adjusted weaning weight — this bull calf Rating on wts. - 20 10. Grade (the grade given calf at weaning) . 11. Grade percentage (this is the percentage value of the assigned grade) . (Taken from grading-guide table.) Example : 2+ = 91 2 =88 3+ = 82 12. Days on feed 120 13. Average daily gain 2.2 Total net gain . , ., — — — = Average daily gain Days on feed 2.2 Example: 120)264.0 240 240 240 14. Feed per 100 lb. gain 640 Total feed consumed x 100 . , _ __ „ — — = leed per 100 lb. gain lotal net gain Example : 640 264)169,000 1,584 1,690 1,060 x 100 1,056 169,000 40 15. Grade 2+ [16] Totals and Averages Column 2. Average calving date From column 5, average days figures back from weaning date. 5. Total of column . . — : — ; : = average weaning age in days. No. oi entries in column 6. Total of column No. of entries in column 7. Total of column No. of entries in column 8. Total of column No. of entries in column = average weight in pounds. = average daily gain. = average adjusted 240-day weaning weight. 9. Average weight column 8 compared with average of all bull (heifer) calves in herd. 13, 14, 18, 19. — See instructions for 9 and 10 above. ANNUAL SUMMARY Beef Cattle Record-of-Performance and Grading Program — 19 1. Name of breeder 2. Address of breeder 3. Breed of cattle 4. Number of years records have been kept on herd 5. Number of cattle in the herd by age and grade: Cows Bulls Heifers Bulls (2 yr. and over) (2 yr. and over) (2 yr. and under) (2 yr. and under) 1 1 1 1 1- 1- 1- 1- 2+ 2+ 2+ 2+ 2 2 2 2 2- 2- 2- 2- 3+ 3+ 3+ 3+ 3 3 3 3 [17] 6. Animals removed from herd: Sold for slaughter Held Sold for Acct. Acct. Acct. Acct. Acct. for range breeding age quality ancestry health shy breeder Cows, 3 years and over 2+ 2 2 3+ Heifers, 2 years and under 2+ 2 2- 3+ Bulls, 3 years and over 2+ 2 2 3+ Bulls, 2 years and under 2+ 2 2- 3+ Castrated Number 2+ 2 ~ 2- 3+ 7. The average 240-day adjusted weight and average grade of all calves produced in 19 Heifers Bulls Weight Weight Grade Grade 8. Has the Get of Sire sheet been analyzed and supplied to the breeder by the farm advisor each year? Yes No... [18] > 9. Has the cooperator maintained a good complete herd book? Yes No I 10. Are birth weights of calves being obtained? Yes No f 11. Is any feeding program being carried out in this herd to determine rate and efficiency of gain? Yes No ^ 12. Will additional herds be added to the program in your county this year? If so, how many? Yes Number No [19] Day of any month Jan. Feb. March April May Jane July Aug. Sept. Oct. Not. Dec. 1 1 32 60 91 121 152 182 213 244 274 305 335 2 2 33 61 92 122 153 183 214 245 275 306 336 3 3 34 62 93 123 154 184 215 246 276 307 337 4 4 35 63 94 124 155 185 216 247 277 308 338 5 5 36 64 95 125 156 186 217 248 278 309 339 6 6 37 65 96 126 157 187 218 249 279 310 340 7 7 8 38 66 97 127 158 188 219 250 280 311 341 8 39 67 9 8 128 159 189 220 251 281 312 342 9 9 40 68 99 129 160 190 221 252 282 313 343 10 10 41 69 100 130 161 191 222 253 283 314 344 11 11 42 70 101 131 162 192 223 254 284 315 345 12 12 43 71 102 132 163 193 224 255 285 316 346 13 13 44 72 103 133 164 194 225 256 286 317 347 14 14 45 73 104 134 165 195 226 257 287 318 348 15 15 46 74 105 135 166 196 227 258 288 319 349 16 16 47 75 106 136 167 197 228 259 289 320 350 17 17 48 76 107 137 168 198 229 260 290 321 351 18 18 49 77 108 138 169 199 230 261 291 322 352 19 19 50 78 109 139 170 200 231 262 292 323 353 20 20 51 79 110 140 171 201 232 263 293 324 354 21 21 52 80 111 141 172 202 233 264 294 325 355 22 22 53 81 112 142 173 203 234 265 295 326 356 23 23 54 82 113 143 174 204 235 266 296 327 357 24 24 55 83 114 144 175 205 236 267 297 328 358 25 25 56 84 115 145 176 206 237 268 298 329 359 26 26 57 85 116 146 177 207 238 269 299 330 360 27 27 58 86 117 147 178 208 239 270 300 331 361 28 28 59 f 87 118 148 179 209 240 271 301 332 362 29 29 88 119 149 180 210 241 272 302 333 363 30 30 89 120 150 181 211 242 273 303 334 364 31 31 90 151 212 243 304 365 Table for calculating nu on pages 6 and 7. mber of days between two calendar During a leap year, be sure to count dates. Its use is explained 29 days in February. 20 and fLCie . . < are illustrations of the various University of California grades of beef cattl< Top to bottom on this page are grades 1 and 1-. ,_ , li^^V *3m m^: J -r m Top bull on opposite page is University of Cali- fornia Grade 2+. Bull above grades 3+. Bull at the left grades 2. Bull at left (below) grades 2- Bull below (this page) grades 3-. I ■.. :|; ; «■■ ■'■' ;- ■■■- - ■:■/■ f ,-*',*,- These thick, deep-bodied, well-grown-out heifers are a desirable type for use as replacements. These plain, narrow, upstanding heifers are the type that should be culled from the herd. :" \ Vi- ...»#■■ *•■>■«:■*.:: ' [24] COMMERCIAL HERDS Improvement of commercial herds by selective breeding can be based on a 100- cow herd, with 20 per cent replacement per year. Set up your program in this way: 1. Pick out the top females of breeding age for the select herd. 2. Weigh and grade cows in selected herd. 3. Breed this herd in a separate field. 4. Use the best bulls you have available with the select herd. 5. Where possible select bulls for rate and efficiency of gain, as well as type, conformation, and pedigree. 6. At weaning, cull from the select herd those cows that fail to produce good-type growthy calves. 7. Also at weaning, weigh and grade the calves. 8. Make first selection of replacement heifers when they are weaned. 9. Make final selection when heifers are ready to go into breeding herd. 10. Top heifers should go to the select herd ; others in the general herd. 11. The select herd may be increased in size to produce all replacements for both herds. The select herd 40 cows (85 per cent calf crop) produce 17 steers for market 8 replacement for select herd 17 heifers i 6 replacement for general herd 3 for market The general herd 60 cows (80 per cent calf crop) produce 24 steers for market {6 replacement for general herd 18 for market Select cows and heifers for: weight for age; good milking ability; regular breeding ability; good type and conformation; early maturity; and production of top-quality calves. Cull cows for: age; poor milking ability; irregular breeding; and poor type and conformation. Selection of individual animals for re- placement purposes in the breeding herd has been practiced by breeders and com- mercial stockmen for many years. It is the basic method by which improvement in quality and changes in the type of domestic livestock have been brought about. This process of selection of replace- ment females — plus the use of better bulls and better feeding and management prac- tices — has brought about continued im- provement in the quality of cattle pro- duced on California farms and ranges. Two methods may be used in the selection of replacement females for the breeding herd. (1) The more common method is called "mass selection" or "herd selec- tion." All of the bulls are turned in to the breeding herd; and when the calves are weaned, the best heifers are selected out and held over for replacements. Such a program, carefully followed with top- quality bulls, provides the means for im- proving quality and production. How- ever, it does not use to full advantage animals of superior breeding and quality. An exceptionally good bull, with access to the entire herd, may breed an equal number of good and poor cows. Since the calves will be like their parents, more [25] uniformity and better quality of off- spring may be expected if breeding is restricted to a group of superior animals. (2) The second method, which will produce the most rapid progress, is that of breeding enough of the best cows to the best bulls to supply the heifers neces- sary for replacement. These heifers give greater assurance of breeding true for high production. Such a method requires some planning. It may necessitate addi- tional cross-fencing and other changes in herd management. Here is a step-by-step outline to follow: 1. Management. Separate, well- fenced pastures or fields holding the se- lected herd during the breeding season are necessary. Depending on the size of the herd, available fields, and other facili- ties, dividing the herd into sire groups of 20-40 cows each may be possible. Where this can be done, it will provide for a closer check on the producing abil- ity of individual bulls. Good feeding practices must accom- pany a program of selective breeding. Favor the selected herd as to feed, par- ticularly during the breeding season. Un- less replacement heifers are well grown out, they may not fully reveal their in- herited abilities. Stock scales are a good investment, since a record of weight for age is ex- tremely helpful in a selective-breeding program. 2. Selection of cows. About one half of the breeding herd will be required to supply the normal heifer replacement of 20 per cent per year in the average range herd. You may wish to begin your selec- tive breeding program with fewer top cows and gradually build up your herd with selected heifers. Weaning time is an ideal time to make the first selection. Choose the deep- bodied, thick-fleshed cows that have raised good-quality, heavy calves and still maintain thrifty condition. Consider- ation should also be given to lower- grading cows that produce calves above the average in weight and conformation. Regular breeding and long life are im- portant. And while of less importance than some other factors, gentleness is an inherited quality and is reflected in the gains made by steers in the feedlot. It is very desirable to obtain the aver- age weight and grade of the selected cows. Cows may be weighed as a group, then each animal graded individually but without the necessity of individually identifying each one. 3. Identification. Selected cows should be properly identified. Some type of ear mark, wattle, or a well-applied number brand will remain as a perma- nent identification. Eartags are the least satisfactory as they are often pulled out and lost. At the San Joaquin Experimen- tal Range every animal is tattooed in one ear, and the same number is branded on the hip. For example, the number 352 means the animal was dropped in 1953 and was the fifty-second animal marked. The number 352 is placed in the record book beside the birth date of the animal. Properly identified cows may be run with the entire herd except during the breed- ing season. 4. Selection of the bull. Use only top-quality range bulls grading 2 or 2+ on the select cow herd. Any information on rate and efficiency of gain and ability to sire high-quality calves should be con- sidered very important in choosing the bull for the select cow herd. The lower- grading bulls (should not grade lower than 2-) can be used on the general herd. Rotation of bulls will help to increase the per cent calf crop. 5. Weighing and grading calves after weaning. Calves should be weighed and graded at weaning time as was done with the cow herd. Average group weights may be obtained, but aver- age grades will be found by individual grading without regard to individual identification. [26 6. Checking cows after weaning, herd. The best heifer calves should be When the first calf crop is weaned, the identified for replacement or for increas- cows should again be checked carefully ing the size of the selected herd. Surplus and those that fail to produce satisfactory heifers can be used as replacements in the calves should be returned to the general general herd. In order that the information in our publications may be more intelligible it is sometimes necessary to use trade names of products or equipment rather than complicated descriptive or chemical iden- tifications. In so doing it is unavoidable in some cases that similar products which are on the market under other trade names may not be cited. No endorsement of named products is intended nor is criticism implied of similar products which are not mentioned. Cooperative Extension work in Agriculture and Home Economic?. College of Agriculture, University of California, and United States Department of Agriculture co-operating. Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8, and June 30, 1914. George B. Alcorn, Director, California Agricultural Extension Service. 15m-3,'56(B1173) A simple ADJUSTED WEIGHT SCALE Here's a means of estimating weights of calves at a constant 240 days. Use a straight edge to connect the appropriate figures in the two outside columns . . . read the answer in the center column. Actual age in days at time of weaning - 130 ~ 135 ■ 190 — 195 zr 200 ■ 205 ■ 210 ' 215 =~ 220 =- 225 ="- 230 1 235 240 245 250 255 260 265 270 275 Connect th Actual weight in pounds at time of weaninc Estimated weight in pounds at 240 days of age Read answer in this column 60( 59( 53( 57' 56( 55( 54 ( 53( 52( 51C 50( 49( 4SC 47C 46C 45C 44C -£343( -342C 41C 40: 39C 33C 37C 36( 35( 34( 33( -3 31C 30C is column . . with this column Please use this scale instead of the one appearing on the back cover of Circular 451 . Actual age in days at time of weaning Estimated weight in pounds at 240 days of age Read answer in ^ this column T Actual weight in pounds at time of weaning Connect this column