simme
Old Dumb Guy
It don't work that way. The epd numbers do not define a hard weight number. Actual weight is defined by environment (nutrition) as well as genetics (epd). The epd number is more about comparing two animal's expected performance in the same environment. Put a purebred angus calf on a dairy nurse cow and the actual weight at weaning will be way more than if the calf nursed his dam only. Independent of epd's. Put two angus calves on the same nurse cow - the one with the higher ww epd would be expected to weigh more at weaning, on average.I know how percentiles work. My question is, what do animals in 50th percentile weigh? Actual hard number. What do calves weigh at birth in the 50th percentile? I know how to use percentiles in relation to each other but where am I starting? Is breed average mature weight 1800 pounds or 1200 pounds? Where is the data that determines this standard? It seems like average mature weight of angus cattle is probably different today than it was 50 years ago?
Average weights will vary by herd, location, environment, management, etc. The epd's predict how animals will perform relative to each other in the same environment - whether the average weaning weight is 350 # or 750 pounds in that environment.