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The Average ages of Cows and Bulls in Six Breeds of Cattle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

A. D. Buchanan Smith  and
O. J. Robison
A. D. Buchanan Smith
Affiliation:
(Animal Breeding Research Department, University of Edinburgh.)
O. J. Robison
Affiliation:
(Animal Breeding Research Department, University of Edinburgh.)
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Extract

From the herd book records of six leading breeds of cattle in Great Britain (Shorthorn, Aberdeen-Angus, Hereford, Ayrshire, Jersey and British Friesian) the ages of the parents of 2618 pedigree calves born in 1925 were tabulated.

The average age of cows at calving is found to be 5·722 years ± 0·04, with a standard deviation of 2·816. In four dairy breeds the average age is 5·485 years ± 0·05, while for the three beef breeds it is 6·022 ± 0·05.

The “annual replacement percentage” is the number of heifers drafted annually into a herd or breed as first calvers expressed as a percentage of the total number of actively producing cows in the herd or breed. It is in effect the number required annually to make good the losses, and can be calculated from the average age of the cows at calving. This is found to be at least 27 per cent. and agrees substantially with the work of other investigators.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 21 , Issue 1 , January 1931 , pp. 136 - 149
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1931

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References

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