What good conformation looks like

[milkmaid]

Anyone know of a short document that explains (ideally with pictures) what to look for? Dr. Google is helpful if you use the right keywords lol. I've a friend talking about buying a bull and I thought something like that might be handy to pass on. In this case, topics like length, depth, and what the back half of a beef animal should look like might be sufficient.

Thanks!

 

[dun]

In the secion Linear measurments I think he covers what you're looking for.

http://www.bovineengineering.com/

 

[Nesikep]

I'd have asked you!

One thing I don't find is discussed much is the "bottom line" of the cows/bulls, and not just the fiscal side of it.. I put greater importance on the shape of the underside of the cow than the topline. I use the same criteria.. flatter is better. Looking at it this way will show you if either the heart girth or waist is 'pinched', and you will naturally get better depth in the cows.

The second thing I look at is the view from the front of the animal, looking over the tailhead, where again less angle from either the pins or the hips over the spine is better. Also, especially noticable on younger animals, look from the shoulders and over the back, I personally like to see 2 parallel lines from the shoulders through the short ribs and up to the hips, I find this a good way to notice awkward shoulders and animals with poor chest capacity.
I'll try and dig up some pictures and label them... Of course these will just be my way of looking at it.

 

[gizmom]

http://www.ans.iastate.edu/clubs/judgin ... icsppt.pdf

This is a pretty good guide for judging with pictures. It doesn't include a bull class but has some good info on what to look for in structure.

Gizmom

 

[Nesikep]

http://www.wikihow.com/Judge-Conformation-in-Cattle is the second hit I found when I googled "beef cattle conformation examples" I don't think it's perfect, but it's a start

Gizmom, that link is OK as well, but I find too many of the cattle are too poodled up, it's not the way you're going to see the cows when you're buying them.


I'd also like to mention to be alert for optical illusions... Especially when it comes to the appearance of chest depth when they're standing in deep grass, making their legs look shorter, thus appearing longer/deeper.

 

[Gators Rule]

Nesi, I got a kick from your term "poodled up"..! Gizmom could say your link's pictures are cartooned up...LoL

Not casting stones, just laughing a little at the terms...

 

[Hook]

Knersie sent me a file a few years back that explained it well. It didn't all sink in as much as I would have liked it to though.

 

[Nesikep]

Nesi, I got a kick from your term "poodled up"..! Gizmom could say your link's pictures are cartooned up...LoL

Not casting stones, just laughing a little at the terms...

It's definitely true.. which is one of the things I didn't like about the site I posted.

 

[gizmom]

Poodled up lol I am going to have to remember that one! Ok instead of a link just tell you're friend butts,nuts and guts when evaluating a bull! I don't think that is Poodled up lol.

Gizmom

 

[Nesikep]

OK, I'm sure some people will not agree with my views.. but I labeled a few pictures... I'm not saying all the aspects of any animal I'm showing is good, I'm using ones that do a good job of demonstrating a particular aspect

Here is what I look for in length and 'bottom line' on a calf.. Cylindrical chest, not pinched at either end or tapered too much


Looking down the back, I like to see nice width all the way down, and a rounded (convex) butt


Again looking down the back, the spine should be level with the muscles, and there should be meat behind the shoulders.. As they get older, they will lose a bit of this anyhow, and if they didn't have any to start with they can't afford that.



For bulls, I pay close attention to the nose and eyebrows.. I like a longer face, and eyebrows that are streamlined with the rest of the face.. No "frog eyes". If a bull (and his calves) are really long, a cow can handle higher birthweights because the width of the calf doesn't change.. It's no harder to pull a short string through the eye of a needle than a long one.

 

[bulldurham]

no, but it is much harder for a longer calf to make the REVOLUTION into the birthing canal than it is for a shorter spined calf.

 

[Nesikep]

And it would follow that it would be harder for the calf to make the same revolution if the cow is short.

 

[bulldurham]

And it would follow that it would be harder for the calf to make the same revolution if the cow is short.

If the cow is short hipped, yes. But total length of the cow has relatively little to do w/ pelvic capacity or length from hooks to pins. I've seen cattle that appear short sided but when you put a tape on them, you will that it is an illusion as their length from hooks to pin is very large. Where they are short is from the hip forward.

 

[Nesikep]

I just haven't seen many problems from a calf being too long. I know that if I had stubby hereford calves with the birthweights I seem to have I'd have a lot more troubles. As it is most of my heifers do OK with 80 lb calves for the first run, and usually handle 5-10 additional pounds of BW every year until they're mature cows...
The calf above pictured from the front had a 130 lb bull calf for her 3rd calf
This is her going on 5 years old

 

[Nesikep]

I just haven't seen many problems from a calf being too long. I know that if I had stubby hereford calves with the birthweights I seem to have I'd have a lot more troubles. As it is most of my heifers do OK with 80 lb calves for the first run, and usually handle 5-10 additional pounds of BW every year until they're mature cows...
The calf above pictured from the front had a 130 lb bull calf for her 3rd calf
This is her going on 5 years old