Breeding Values in Genetics of Cattle

By Asst Editor Craig R, on July 27th, 2011

Breeding Values are tools used for assessing the relative genetic worth of different animals in the same flock or herd. They are always expressed in terms like kilograms of liveweight or fleece weight, or microns of fibre diameter. They incorporate all the relevant genetic information about an animal, compressing it into a single, easily . . . → Read More: Breeding Values in Genetics of Cattle

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Genetic Gain in Beef Cattle

By Asst Editor Craig R, on July 27th, 2011

Genetic gain has three components:

1. Heritability (h2).

This is the measure of how strongly a trait is inherited, which determines how much parental superiority is passed on to the next generation. For breeding calculations heritability is described mathematically on a scale from 0 to 1.0. Some important traits such as fertility have low . . . → Read More: Genetic Gain in Beef Cattle

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Sheep breeding and genetics

By Admin, on February 25th, 2011

Genetics and the Environment

All characteristics (traits) of an animal that can be seen or measured are referred to as its phenotype. This includes height, weight, growth rate, wool colour, temperament, reproductive ability, disease resistance etc. An animal’s phenotype for each of its traits depends on both genetics and environment. At conception, genetic material . . . → Read More: Sheep breeding and genetics

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