Frans Jordaan, Prof Michiel Scholtz and Dr Ben Greyling from Agricultural Analysis Council-Animal Manufacturing and Martin Ras from the Afric Afrikaners Stud compiled those helpful suggestions to help farm animals breeders in benefiting from the guidelines contained within the catalogue once they attend auctions.

The significance of breeding goals for a industrial herd was once mentioned throughout the Afrikaner Bushveld Learn about Staff’s ‘Faculty of Red meat’, hosted on the fresh Thabazimbi Display.
Breeding goals must be tailored for each and every herd, relying at the setting, breed sort, marketplace necessities and manufacturing machine. Settling on particular breeding subject material to enhance your herd generally is a difficult procedure.
The loss of particular breeding targets to your herd may consequence within the aimless collection of a breeding bull, and this will position the genetic attainable of your cowherd at an obstacle.
The translation of the public sale catalogue, particularly on characteristics of monetary significance reminiscent of fertility and enlargement, are crucial gear for the industrial pork manufacturer. Fertility and enlargement will fortify the optimal quantity and weight of weaner calves, in an effort to enhance profitability.
Significance of the breeding bull
Easiest Linear Independent Prediction (BLUP) data at the catalogue is in line with efficiency knowledge and is an independent, purpose solution to establish awesome genetics. The bodily look of a breeding bull is then again simply as necessary to make sure practical potency.
Even if practical potency is a subjective inspection by way of breed inspectors, you will need to observe that the method is in line with minimal breed requirements, which might additionally make sure that capability.
Characteristics (excellent or unhealthy) are heritable and the aim of variety is to make sure awesome genetics and growth. The heritability of enlargement characteristics is reasonably prime and an inferior bull might affect the efficiency of a herd negatively. The mistaken bull to your herd may finally end up breeding calves with decrease weaning weights.
The collection of the perfect breeding bull is most likely one of the crucial widespread subjects for dialogue throughout auctions, as its significance and genetic affect, can by no means be underestimated.
Even if bulls are simplest 3% of a herd’s composition, they genetically give a contribution 50% against each and every calf. If his heifers are decided on for alternative, the genetic affect of a bull turns into much more distinguished in a herd, for future years.
At all times remember that the bull additionally carries genes influencing the milk manufacturing attainable of his daughters.
Fertility
The breeding price for scrotum circumference, which is a sign of semen amount, the inter-calving duration of the dam and the selection of calves produced, may help the patron to judge the fertility standing of the bull. The semen high quality take a look at, completed previous to the public sale, will also be asked from the landlord.
Public sale catalogue as a spread instrument
The translation of the public sale catalogue is also difficult for consumers, and for this particular explanation why, it’s ceaselessly unnoticed. The restricted time between a lot throughout the public sale additionally does now not permit sufficient time to truly interpret all of the data to hand.
Easiest observe could be to get a replica of the public sale catalogue, a minimum of a couple of days previous to the public sale, to permit right kind collection of attainable breeding inventory.
Bulls on be offering have already been inspected and handed the take a look at for practical potency, which is a technique of high quality keep an eye on. However by way of simply visually deciding on a bull and ignoring the efficiency data to be had is very similar to purchasing a car with out taking a look at its specs, reminiscent of engine dimension, efficiency, and many others.
The ideas at the catalogue is quickly to be had to allow the patron to make a extra knowledgeable resolution on characteristics that can’t be observed by way of the bare eye.
Questions reminiscent of which bull’s progeny will develop sooner, have extra milk, or prohibit calving problem when mated with heifers, will also be made up our minds by way of the translation of the efficiency data at the public sale catalogue.
Body sort
Breeding bulls are normally bought at a somewhat younger age of about 3 years. Frame period and top range inside a herd and much more so between other herds and environments.
The breeding values for those two characteristics make it conceivable for the patron to resolve the body form of a bull and whether or not it is going to are compatible into his manufacturing setting.
Those characteristics are necessary to believe, in an effort to prohibit adaptation demanding situations, particularly when purchasing breeding inventory from a unique setting.
Phenotype vs genotype indexes
It is crucial to not confuse the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics that seem at the catalogue. The phenotypic indexes are indications of the efficiency of an animal inside his fresh weighing staff.
Genotypic indexes are the genetic rating of an animal inside the breed. The primary of an index price of 100 as moderate is acceptable to the breeding price index.
The rule of the index, to be inside the vary of 90 to 110, could also be acceptable to steer clear of extremes on particular characteristics.

Standards when a bull is chosen for a breeding objective
- To be mated with heifers with out the danger of calving issues: breeding values for start direct on or beneath breed moderate.
- Breeding alternative heifers: above breed moderate for wean direct and on breed moderate for wean maternal. That is extra of a balanced way.
- Corrective mating: a selected limitation, for instance very low weaning weights, will also be corrected by way of the use of a bull with excessive breeding values for wean direct and maternal.
- Most enlargement: above breed moderate for enlargement at wean, in addition to for post-wean characteristics.
- Terminal breeding: all progeny will get slaughtered. The feminine offspring isn’t appropriate as alternative heifers as a result of the extraordinary breeding values on enlargement. Mate those bulls with mature cows to steer clear of calving issues.
- To enhance replica or fertility of your herd: at all times stay the replica statistics of the bull’s dam in thoughts. Along with this, the scrotal circumference breeding price of the bull needs to be on or above breed moderate.
- Red meat breeders are essentially meat manufacturers, and calf enlargement within the post-wean section will at all times be necessary, in particular to feedlots. Because of this, it’s important for the breeding bull to be a minimum of on breed moderate for enlargement characteristics reminiscent of weaning, one-year and 18-month weights.
- Be wary of utmost breeding values for post-wean weights. Weight at 18 months of age is a sign of mature weight, and if variety on enlargement is your simplest precedence, the end result will likely be greater cows, with upper upkeep necessities. A deficient or intensive setting can not give a boost to those bigger-framed animals. This may increasingly, in flip, negatively affect fertility.
Knowledge in catalogue
Aside from the lot quantity data and make contact with main points of the present proprietor, the intercourse, identify and id selection of the animal, the segment and birthdate seem at the best of the web page. The pedigree data may also be treasured for consumers who desire a son of a well known sire or dam.

Manufacturing
The phenotypic weaning weight is adjusted for age to a 205-day weight. That is completed in an effort to make sure that comparability between calves of various age teams in the similar fresh staff.
The breeding price is adopted by way of an accuracy share price in brackets, which is a sign of the reliability of the breeding price. (The next accuracy signifies additional information was once to be had to calculate the breeding price.)
Copy
The dam’s replica data comprises her calving information, age to start with calving, and the typical inter-calving duration.
Abstract
Attempt to pay money for the public sale catalogue prior to the public sale and make a shortlist of bulls that are compatible into your breeding targets. At the day of the public sale, you’ll nonetheless make a selection your favourite bull out of this shortlist.
Take note of excessive breeding values. An aesthetically pleasant bull would possibly not have the required breeding values, however a bull with desired breeding values can be aesthetically pleasant!
Skilled ARC body of workers within the pork business are to be had in all provinces and will also be contacted for help with any of the above-mentioned, in addition to for different field-related services and products reminiscent of real-time ultrasonic scanning, bull enlargement trying out and collection of breeding subject material.
For extra element, e mail Jordaan at [email protected], or name him on 012 672 9085.