Alternatives To Decide To Purchase Of Bull

One way that still remains valid for the purchase of breeders that will be used for “field service” is the purchase based on that it exhibits the characteristics of the breed. There is no more information available on what is seen and the certificates of the health analyzes provided by the vendors.

In general, it is sought that the bull has good aplomb’s, of good conformation and with good scrotal circumference, which is usually considered a bull “nice”. This is still a particular opinion of each buyer (subjective). But these characteristics do not indicate whether this “cute” bull is “good” for the rodeo to which it will be intended. In order to conclude if it is, it is important to know your productive background and thus decrease personal subjectivity.

The other alternative is the use of DEPs.

A DEP (Expected Difference between Progenies) indicates how the general behavior of the offspring of the chosen bull will be compared to the offspring of the other bulls.  The DEP values can be positive, negative or zero and are expressed in the same unit of measure as the characteristic evaluated (“kg” those of development or weight). The DEPs predict the true genetic merit of a bull, based on its calculation not only on its own performance but also on the available performance information of its progenies and relatives.

You can only compare bulls that are within the same summary. You cannot compare bulls from different summaries of parents and even less when they come from other countries.

 The expected differences between most used offspring are:

Birth weight (PN): it is expressed in kg and is a character closely linked to the ease of delivery. Animals with high DEPs indicate that they will transmit genes with high growth potential for birth weight to their children and therefore are not recommended to serve heifers.

Weaning weight (PD): the weaning weight taken at that date and adjusted, describes the potential of a player to transmit growth genes until weaning to their children.

Final weight (PF): the final weight taken at 15 or 18 months measures the growth potential of the animal between weaning and slaughter age in conventional wintering. The higher the DEP value, the greater the speed and potential for post – weaning growth that a player will transmit to his offspring.

Maternal ability (HM): describes the potential of an animal to transmit genes for milk production to its progeny. Since milk production is not measured as such, the estimate is made indirectly in kilos of weaned calf (the grandchildren of the analyzed player).

Scrotal circumference (EC): it is a character closely linked to the fertility of males and female daughters of bulls with good CE.

Beef eye area (AOB): is the measurement of the surface of a section of the long dorsal muscle between the 12th and 13th ribs and is expressed in cm 2. It is an indicator of the importance of the degree of musculature and the percentage of cuts after dispossession.

Dorsal Fat (GD): allows estimating the total fat of the animal and is expressed in cm. It is related to the ease of greasing of animals.