title: Comparison of production characteristics from birth through slaughter of calves sired by Angus, Charolais or Piedmontese bulls.
abstract: Birth, weaning, growth and carcass records for calves sired by Angus, Charolais or Piedmontese bulls were used to evaluate the potential contribution of Piedmontese to beef production in the U.S. Bulls were mated by AI to Hereford and crossbred cows and heifers. Calves were born during fall 1985 or spring 1986. Statistical models used to analyze the importance of sire breed used sire nested within sire breed as a random effect. Effects of sex, birth season, contemporary group, dam breed and parity were considered fixed and tested with the residual error. Piedmontese-sired calves had the longest gestation length, followed by Charolais and Angus-sired calves (287.5, 285.0 and 282.8 d, respectively). Breed of sire was not significant for birth weight, but Piedmontese- and Charolais-sired calves had longer cannon bones than Angus-sired calves. Differences were found for weaning hip height, but weaning weights, weaning muscle scores and ADG during the preweaning period were similar for calves by the three sire breeds. When fed to a similar fat thickness, Angus-sired calves required fewer days on feed, produced lighter carcasses and gained less per day than Charolais- or Piedmontese-sired calves. Piedmontese-sired calves required more days on feed than Charolais-sired calves when slaughtered at a similar subcutaneous fat thickness. Piedmontese-sired calves produced carcasses with a larger average rib eye area, higher dressing percentage and lower (more desirable) yield grade than Charolais- or Angus-sired calves. No significant sire breed differences were detected for tissue cholesterol content.
authors.affiliation: Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, College Station 77843-2471.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Lunt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001724:Birth Weight; D001947:Breeding; D002417:Cattle / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000592:standards; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000662:veterinary*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015430:Weight Gain