Estimation of Initial Live Weight at Each Lactation of Dairy Cows

Gaines, W.L.; Davis, H. P.; Morgan, R. F.

doi:10.3168/jds.s0022-0302(41)95484-x

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…from body measurements have been made in both America (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) and Europe (8,9,10,11,12). It is generally accepted that chest girth is the measurement most closely related to live weight and general body size (7,11,13), and its use appears to be justified by its high repeatability (13,14), ease of measurement and its relationship with both skeletal size and the overlying flesh cover.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

662. The comparative efficiency of some methods of estimating the live weight of dairy cows

Burt

1957

Journal of Dairy Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A knowledge of the live weight of individual cows has useful applications in the allocation of rations, the estimation of productive efficiency, and in computing sale value at the end of productive life. Weighing machines suitable for mature cattle are rarely installed on commercial farms, and, consequently, many studies of methods of estimating live weights from body measurements have been made in both America(1,2,3,4,5,6,7) and Europe (8,9,10,11,12). It is generally accepted that chest girth is the measurement most closely related to live weight and general body size (7,11,13), and its use appears to be justified by its high repeatability (13,14), ease of measurement and its relationship with both skeletal size and the overlying flesh cover.The problem of estimating weight has been approached in several ways. Over a considerable range of live weight the relationship is best expressed (7) by the formula where Y=live weight, X=chest girth and A and b are constants. This is merely one application of the allometric relationships between the size of parts of the animal body and the size of the whole body discussed by Huxley (15), and the formula can be readily converted to a linear form for analytical purposes by taking logarithms, when log Y^hgA + blogX.This relationship has been used in some of the American work (3,4,6,7), and most of the remainder of the work already cited was based on the direct regression of live weight upon chest girth in groups of cattle of similar age and condition, since, in animals of similar chest girth, weight increases with condition and age(4,ii).In addition to these relatively recent studies of the direct relationship between chest girth and weight, a number of methods were recommended during the nineteenth century (8,16,17) which involved the computation of indices of body volume. This was usually done either by regarding the body as a cylinder, when volume = K [length of body x (chest girth) 2 ] or as the frustrum of a cone when volume = K {length of body [(chest girth) 2 + (paunch girth) 2 + (chest girth x paunch girth)]}.The objects of the present study were to describe the relationships between weight and body measurements in Dairy Shorthorn cows, and to study the effects of taking additional measurements on the accuracy of prediction of the logarithmic and body volume index methods, since practically no comparative studies have previously been reported.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This relationship has been used in some of the American work (3,4,6,7), and most of the remainder of the work already cited was based on the direct regression of live weight upon chest girth in groups of cattle of similar age and condition, since, in animals of similar chest girth, weight increases with condition and age (4,ii).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

662. The comparative efficiency of some methods of estimating the live weight of dairy cows

Burt

1957

Journal of Dairy Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For recent data on the live weight and body measurements of cows and how these correlate with milk yield, reference should be made to the well-known work of Gaines and his colleagues at Illinois (302,303,304,305,306) and of Brody (307,308) and also to data published by Axelsson(309), Mixner(3i0), Engeler(3il), Kleiber & Mead(3l2), Krizenecky(313) and Myers (314,315).…”

Section: ) Anatomical Aspectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section A. Physiology of dairy cattle: I. Reproduction and lactation

1945

Journal of Dairy Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Some years ago the annual wastage of cows in dairy herds in Britain was estimated by Wright(1) to be approximately 22%, and of this about one-quarter was due to sterility. Recent figures(2) from Shropshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire suggest that this position has not changed in the past few years. Thus in forty-eight herds containing 1925 cows there were 620 disposals in the 12 months ending September 1940. 23% of the disposals were due to sterility. The annual losses from bovine sterility in Britain have been calculated to be equivalent to £7,000,000 in milk alone. This fact is cited by Day(3) in a concise article on the control of sterility in which he discusses various factors which contribute to the problem. Some of these factors, such as contagious abortion and trichomonas infection, are pathological, but many others are functional or physiological. The present review is concerned only with the latter. Mackintosh (4), in an article on breeding and rearing to maintain the milk supply, summarizes for the practical dairy farmer many of the methods by which the incidence of functional sterility can be reduced. Both Day and Mackintosh emphasize the importance of pregnancy diagnosis, of detecting the short winter oestrus and of testing the fertility of the bull. They also mention that hormone therapy can frequently be used to great advantage for inducing oestrus. Knowledge of these factors and how best to deal with them has greatly increased during the past few years as a result of the work carried out in many research stations throughout the world.

show abstract