Objectives of this study were to evaluate effects of seven sire breed groups and three levels of daily ME intake (DMEI = 132 or 189 kcal ME/kg BW(0.75) or ad libitum), beginning 5 mo prepartum, on BCS, length of postpartum anestrus, and circulating concentrations of IGF-1 and GH in F1 cows (six to eight cows per sire breed in each DMEI group) out of Angus or Hereford dams. At the initiation of ...

Growth is a physiologically demanding process that requires adequate amounts of energy as well as optimal intake of essential nutrients. Key nutritional factors, including energy and calcium, have been identified as important during growth. Large-breed puppies have a genetic tendency toward fast growth rates that can stress developing skeletal structures and result in malformations if left unch...

This study investigated the current management practices associated with stock herding dogs on Australian farms. A parallel goal was to determine whether these practices and the characteristics of the dog handlers were associated with success rates. Success rate refers to the proportion of dogs acquired by the farmer that were retained as working dogs. Data on a total of 4,027 dogs were obtaine...

The objectives of this study were to estimate effects of sire breed (Dorset, Finnsheep, Romanov, Texel, and Montadale), and dam breed (Composite III and Northwestern whiteface) on survival, growth, carcass, and composition traits of F1 lambs. Effects of mating season (August, October, and December) were estimated for survival and growth traits. Data were collected on 4,320 F1 lambs sired by 102...

First-parity Holstein (H), Normande-Holstein (NxH) crossbred, Montbeliarde-Holstein (MxH) crossbred and Scandinavian-Holstein (SxH) crossbred cows calving from June 2001 to December 2003 were compared for dystocia and stillbirths from seven California herds. Dystocia scores ranging from 1 (no assistance) to 5 (hard pull) and stillbirths (1 for alive and 0 for dead) were recorded for 1695 Holste...

Purebred and two-breed cross (F1) boars were mated to F1 females to produce all possible three- and four-breed cross pigs involving the Duroc, Yorkshire, Landrace and Spotted breeds. Individual postweaning average daily gain (ADG), age at 100 kg (AGE) and probed backfat thickness at 100 kg (BF) data were collected on 3,456 pigs. A total of 213 pens with an average of 15.58 pigs per pen was eval...

Key Points  There are few “true” breed sensitivities to anesthetics  Breed idiosyncrasies to various anesthetic, sedative, and analgesic drugs should be considered when formulating an anesthetic plan  Many myths in small animal anesthesia derive from mis-interpretation of data or singular experiences that evolve into “scientific fact”  This lecture will attempt to dispel some common myths a...

Breed predispositions for some types of congenital heart disease were recognized 30 years ago and led to breeding experiments that confirmed the genetic transmission of specific congenital heart defects in most instances. As a result, certain breeds were associated with certain diseases, and this became a legitimate consideration in the differential diagnosis of some abnormalities in the absenc...

ICAR Technical Series No 3 The development of the Dorper sheep and the Improved Boer Goat are undoubtedly two of the most successful long-term livestock programmes in South Africa. The Dorper is a composite mutton sheep breed developed through crossing an indigenous breed with a British mutton breed and the Improved Boer Goat was developed using a breeding strategy based largely on selection fo...