Biomaterial Database

Age-of-dam adjustment factors for birth and weaning weight records of beef cattle: a review. 2004

Janice M Rumph, and L Dale Van Vleck

Department of Animal Science, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0908, USA. janice@montana.edu

Age-of-dam adjustment factors are used to preadjust birth and weaning weight data for national beef cattle genetic evaluations. Adjustments are used in order to make the means of the different age-of-dam subclasses similar so that a fair comparison of animals can be performed. A review was made of various research studies that have estimated age-of-dam adjustment factors for birth weight and weaning weight of beef cattle. In general, birth weight age-of-dam adjustment factors are the same across the sexes, but weaning weight age-of-dam adjustment factors differ across the sexes, with heifer calves receiving smaller adjustments than their male counterparts. Additionally, adjustment factors vary greatly across breeds. Preadjustment of records is difficult to do because a perfect estimate of adjustments is not possible. A more appropriate method for adjusting for age-of-dam is to simultaneously adjust during national genetic evaluations.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D001724	Birth Weight	The mass or quantity of heaviness of an individual at BIRTH. It is expressed by units of pounds or kilograms.	Birthweight,Birth Weights,Birthweights,Weight, Birth,Weights, Birth
D001835	Body Weight	The mass or quantity of heaviness of an individual. It is expressed by units of pounds or kilograms.	Body Weights,Weight, Body,Weights, Body
D002417	Cattle	Domesticated bovine animals of the genus Bos, usually kept on a farm or ranch and used for the production of meat or dairy products or for heavy labor.	Beef Cow,Bos grunniens,Bos indicus,Bos indicus Cattle,Bos taurus,Cow,Cow, Domestic,Dairy Cow,Holstein Cow,Indicine Cattle,Taurine Cattle,Taurus Cattle,Yak,Zebu,Beef Cows,Bos indicus Cattles,Cattle, Bos indicus,Cattle, Indicine,Cattle, Taurine,Cattle, Taurus,Cattles, Bos indicus,Cattles, Indicine,Cattles, Taurine,Cattles, Taurus,Cow, Beef,Cow, Dairy,Cow, Holstein,Cows,Dairy Cows,Domestic Cow,Domestic Cows,Indicine Cattles,Taurine Cattles,Taurus Cattles,Yaks,Zebus
D005260	Female		Females
D000367	Age Factors	Age as a constituent element or influence contributing to the production of a result. It may be applicable to the cause or the effect of a circumstance. It is used with human or animal concepts but should be differentiated from AGING, a physiological process, and TIME FACTORS which refers only to the passage of time.	Age Reporting,Age Factor,Factor, Age,Factors, Age
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D014886	Weaning	Permanent deprivation of breast milk and commencement of nourishment with other food. (From Stedman, 25th ed)	Weanings