| |
|
| |
The genetic purity of the
Salers breed creates a remarkable degree of hybrid vigour
in cross breeding programmes that correlates to strong
increases in weaning and yearling weights.
Salers mature earlier than other European breeds. They
produce a high yielding carcase that shows good marbling
and minimum back fat.
|
|
Fertility
|
-
|
more live calves per cow exposed |
|
Calving Ease
|
-
|
larger pelvic area than other beef
breeds |
|
Milk Production
|
-
|
heavier weaning weights |
|
Growth Rate
|
-
|
faster finishing time |
|
Carcase Quality
|
-
|
high yielding, good marbling, minimum
back fat |
|
Crossbreeding
|
-
|
hybrid vigour from genetic purity |
|
Vigour
|
-
|
hardiness, survivability, foraging
ability |
|
Productivity
|
-
|
low labour inputs |
|
Profitability
|
-
|
efficient beef production, maximum
weight of beef produced per hectare at minimum
cost |
|
Objective Quality Measurements
|
-
|
breedplan, bull progeny trials and
carcase evaluations |
|
Commitment to Quality
|
|
|
Do Salers really Calve Easily?
Every breed claims easy calving, so personal experience
of Salers is probably necessary to be convinced that
they really are out on their own for calving ease in
a beef breed. Talking with any Salers breeder should
help.
The US Meat Animal Research Centre (MARC), in the world's
most comprehensive multi-breed comparison trial conducted
over the last 20 years established in Cycle 4 Phase
1 that Salers bulls over Angus and Hereford cows produced
97.8% unassisted births. In Cycle 4 Phase 3, the performance
of females of various breeds was compared. (See table
1). Salers-cross females calving as two-year-olds had
considerably fewer calving difficulties than traditional
breeds. The table also shows that the MARC trials confirm
that Salers cross females WEAN HEAVIER CALVES.
|
Breed Group of Dam
|
Calving Unassisted (KG)
|
200 Day Weight (KG)
|
|
Salers
|
85.7
|
523.9
|
|
Hereford-Angus
|
68.9
|
487.5
|
|
Charlais
|
72.9
|
498.7
|
|
Gelbvieh
|
70.7
|
507.7
|
|
Pinzqauer
|
64.0
|
508.1
|
|
Shorthorn
|
75.2
|
512.6
|
|
Galloway
|
74.9
|
449.2
|
|
Piedmontese
|
64.6
|
491.9
|
John Arnell of "Crescent Vale" near Tara was
losing about 20% of his heifers with calving problems.
He introduced Salers bulls and the losses fell to around
2%. Not only does John have the extra calves to sell,
but the number of replacement females he needs to retain
is 20% less.
Will Salers females Milk?
Research conducted in France with 4864 lactations found
Salers to have an average daily milk production of 11.1
litres over a 274 day lactation (more than 3000 litres).
By comparison, this same trial shows Charolais at 5.7
and Limousins at 4.9 litres per day. Also high protein
milk necessary for cheese production is another Salers
characteristic.
Do Salers have Bigger Pelvic Areas?
The Montana State University in the USA measured 153
Salers, 175 Angus and 94 Hereford yearlings and found
the average pelvic areas of the Salers to 15 square
centimetres greater than the Herefords and 10 square
centimetres greater than the Angus. In a similar study,
the Colorado State University measured more than 900
yearlings representing 17 breeds in the USA and again
confirmed that Salers had, on average, larger pelvic
areas than any of the other breeds examined.
Are they Survivors?
The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
in the USA conducted a study in which Salers bulls and
Angus bulls were used over similar heifers to evaluate
calving ease. Birth weights of calves were similar -
33 and 34kg - but the Salers sires gave 10% fewer calving
difficulties.
Structural Soundness - for Bulls and Females
Bulls represent half of the breeding unit, but in many
herds, little attention is paid to aspects of bull selection
and bull management.
Eyeball selection of bulls, without any clear regard
to functionally important reproductive traits, is still
the most common procedure for many bull buyers. As a
consequence, if you go to a bull sale you will see some
bulls with reproductive, structural and walking abnormalities
which are presented for sale and are purchased for use
in breeder herds. Such bulls contribute to suboptimal
herd fertility levels. The use of several bull soundness
evaluation methods assists in the identification of
problems. The physical examination is quick and easy
to carry out and should be a routine procedure any time
bulls are being inspected, for example, pre-sale, pre-joining
and at on-property culling. It has been suggested that
35 to 40 percent of all unsound and sub-fertile bulls
can be identified just by a thorough physical examination.
Any abnormalities that depress the bull's fertility
during mating should be identified.
We need to continually remember that the bull should
be regarded as a 'sexual athlete, 'i.e. an animal completely
sound and with the necessary wherewithall and desire
to perform the task we have purchased him for - the
production of calves of sound genetic merit.
Structural soundness
A breeding bull should be a worker who is never 'off
duty'. He should be able to walk (trot) long distances,
see, smell and have the urge and ability to detect females
on heat. He should be able to maintain his body condition.
Under our extensive conditions, bulls have to be capable
of walking long distances and of serving large numbers
of females. Hence limb and body conformation is important
not only for these reasons, but because these also contribute
to the bull's longevity and usefulness.
Important points of functional anatomy include:
- Hind limb conformation
- Hoof structure
- Scrotal conformation and size
- Sheath size and shape
- Body condition/weight
- Eyes
|
Conformation of the legs & feet
Examination of hind leg conformation is an essential
phase in evaluating bulls. Limb conformation defects
are often regarded only as blemishes. However for some
bulls, blemishes often lead to functional problems as
they age.
Sound hind legs are vital to the breeding capacity of
bulls, since during mating most of the bull's weight
is supported by the hind legs. A bull with hind leg
defects may also suffer pain on moving or mounting and
this may interfere with his desire to mate.
As bulls with faulty conformation become older, defects
become more apparent and tend to interfere to a greater
extent with serving ability.
Frequently, one sees young bulls in which conformation
of the legs and feet is poor. Look at these carefully
before making a decision to buy.
Common problems in the legs include:
- Sickle hocks and posty legs (Figures 1b
and c)
- Bow legged (Figure 2b)
- Cow hocked (Figure 2c)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Figure 1. Hind limb conformation (a)
normal; (b) sickle hocked; (c)
posty leg.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Figure 2. Hind limb conformation (a)
normal; (b) bow legged; (c) cow
hocked.
|
Many of these conditions are heritable, and given
the enormous stresses placed on the hind limbs
during serving, it is little wonder that bulls
with these physical defects frequently break down
in the joints, leading to arthritic conditions,
particularly in older bulls.
Common problems in the hooves include:
- Both hooves not symmetrical in size
and shape.
- Short hooves, worn at the toe, often
associated with straight hind legs;
- Long, narrow hooves with shallow
heels, often associated with weal hocks
and pasterns and sometimes forming scissor
hooves.
|
Finally, the gait needs to be that of a well-coordinated
animal. Particular care needs to be taken I evaluating
older animals to ensure that arthritic problems
in the rear limbs, joints and back, as well as
congenital (probably heritable) defects, such
as stringhalt, are not present.
The Walk
Bulls should normally place their hind feet in
the prints of the front feet as they walk out
freely. Overstepping or under stepping may be
linked to serving ability of the bulls. Bulls
that under step often have straight hind legs
and have increased problems in the final thrust
for ejaculation. Worn toes, an indicator of dragging
the hoof would suggest the potential for an arthritic
condition.
Structural soundness of limbs is not only important
for bulls but also for heavy steers. In the past
3 years there have been reports of up to 30 percent
of steers fed for over 150 days in feedlots for
the heavily marbled Japanese market, which have
not been able to be finished in the feedlot and
have had to be marketed elsewhere. Ensuring steers
are structurally sound before entering the feedlot
can help overcome some of these problems:
| |
Sheath Size and Shape
Large pendulous sheaths aren't uncommon
in Bos indicus breeds. Absence of a strong
retractor prepucial muscle will predispose
pendulous sheath bulls to prepucial damage
and prolapse. |
| |
Eyes
Viruses, animal age, genetic background,
UV light and solar activity have been implicated
in the development of eye lesions. Bostaurus
type cattle have a higher proportion of
aquamous cells tumours in unpigmented or
partially pigmented regions around the eyes.
Eye cover has had little attention from
some breeders whilst pigmentation has received
much attention from Poll Hereford and Hereford
breeders alike. From practical observations
eye cover or hooding would appear to not
only provide greater physical protection,
but also ensure decreased glare, ultra violet
light and reduced fly related problems.
Extract from Beef Genetic Improvement
Project (QDP) "Breeding
Better Bulls" |
Live Muscle Score
A subjective description of the muscularity of
an animal relative to the CALM live muscle score
templates as show in Illustration 1. The name
of the person who assessed the live muscle score,
and the date of the assessment, is to be shown.
Frame Score
A description of maturity type calculated from
the age/hip height relationship of the animal.
The hip height is to be measured in mm, across
the hips with a vertical staff as shown in Illustration
2. The name of the person who assessed the live
muscle score, and the date of the assessment,
is to be shown.
Pelvic Area
An estimate of the area of the internal pelvic
opening of an animal made by a registered veterinary
surgeon, reported in square centimetres, and calculated
by multiplying the measurement of the transverse
and vertical aspects of the internal pelvis. The
transverse and vertical measurements are to be
made available on request.
|
|
|
If you have some breeding tips about Salers and would like to share
them online, please click
here to submit.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
