title: Live weight, carcass ultrasound images, and visual scores in Angus cattle under feeding regimes in Brazil.
abstract: This study aimed to evaluate visual precocity, muscling, conformation, skeletal, and breed scores; live weights at birth, at 205, and at 550 days of age; and, besides, rib eye area and fat thickness between the 12th and 13th ribs obtained by ultrasound. Those traits were evaluated in 1,645 Angus cattle kept in five feeding conditions as follows: supplemented or non-supplemented, grazing native pasture or grazing cultivated pasture, and feedlot. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlations, and principal component analysis were carried out. Gender and feeding conditions were fixed effects, while animal's age and mother's weight at weaning were the covariates analyzed. Gender and feeding conditions were very significant for the studied traits, but visual scores were not influenced by gender. Animal's age and mother's weight at weaning influenced many traits and must be appropriately adjusted in the statistical models. An important correlation between visual scores, live weights, and carcass traits obtained by ultrasound was found, which can be analyzed by univariate procedure. However, the multivariate approach revealed some information that cannot be neglected in order to ensure a more detailed assessment.
authors: Department of Animal Science, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Av. Adhemar de Barros, 500, 40170-110, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, luisfbp@gmail.com.
authors: Luís Fernando Batista
authors: LF
authors: Pinto
authors: Jaime Urdapilleta
authors: JU
authors: Tarouco
authors: Victor Breno
authors: VB
authors: Pedrosa
authors: Adriana
authors: A
authors: de Farias Jucá
authors: André Gustavo
authors: AG
authors: Leão
authors: Antonia Kécya França
authors: AK
authors: Moita
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D001823:Body Composition; D001835:Body Weight; D001938:Brazil; D002417:Cattle / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable; D012737:Sex Factors; D014886:Weaning