Relation between Some Body Measurements and the Meat Productivity of Calves

K. DIMOV

Research Buffalo Institute with Center of Biotechnology, BG – 9700 Shoumen, Bulgaria

Abstract

DIMOV, K., 2000. Correlation between some body measurements and the meat productivity of calves. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 6: 215-218

A study was carried out for establishing the phenotypic correlations between some body measurements and the basic slaughter traits of calves from the Black-and-White breed.
There was established that the calves from the Black-and-White breed have good meat productivity – 838 g average daily gain and 52.04% slaughter output. The body measurements have different values of the variation coefficients and they are highest for the width and depth of chest. The highest values of the variation coefficients of the slaughter traits belong to the trait – fatness in the carcass, expressed by kg and percentage.
The best expressed phenotypic correlations are between the basicbody measurements and the slaughter traits – body weight at slaughtering, weight of cool carcass and meat in the carcass.

Key words: calves, body measurements, average daily gain, slaughter traits, phenotypic correlations