Characterization of Biological Types of Cattle IV.

Postweaning
Growth and Puberty of Heifers

D. B. Laster, Gerald M. Smith and Keith E. Gregory

J Anim Sci 1976. 43:63-70.

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 CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOLOGICAL TYPES OF CATTLE
IV. POSTWEANING GROWTH AND PUBERTY OF HEIFERS 1

D. B. Laster, Gerald M. Smith and Keith E. Gregory 2

U.& Department o f Agriculture, Clay Center, Nebraska 68933

SUMMARY INTRODUCTION

Postweaning growth and puberty traits were
studied in 965 heifers produced by mating
Hereford and Angus cows to Hereford, Angus,
Jersey, South Devon, Limousin, Charolais and
Simmental sires. Estrus was checked twice daily
from 250 to either 480 or 510 days of age and
age and weight at puberty were evaluated.
Puberty was defined as date of first standing
estrus.
Charolais, Simmental and South Devon
crosses were the heaviest at 400 days of age
followed closely by Hereford-Angus and
Limousin crosses with Jersey crosses the
lightest. Jersey crosses were 16% lighter than
Charolais and 8.7% lighter than Limousin
crosses at 400 days of age.
For percentage of heifers reaching puberty
at each 30-day period from 300 to 450 days of
age, breed crosses separated into three distinct
groups. A higher percentage of Jersey crosses
and a lower percentage of Charolais and Limou-
sin crosses reached puberty with Hereford-
Angus, South Devon and Simmental crosses
intermediate throughout this age range. Breed
crosses divided into the same three groups on
the basis of average age at puberty. Charolais
crosses were heaviest at puberty, followed by
Limousin and Simmental, then South Devon
and Hereford-Angus, with Jersey crosses the
lightest.
Heifers from Angus dams were 26 days
younger and 9 kg lighter at puberty than those
from Hereford dams. Heterosis in Hereford-
Angus reciprocal crosses for age at puberty was
19.5 days with no effect on weight at puberty.
(Key Words: Cattle, Breeds, Puberty, Repro-
duction, Growth.)
Cooperation of the Nebraska Agricultural Experi- adequate supplemental protein and minerals to
ment Station, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, is
acknowledged.
2U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Afldcultural
Research Service.
63
Puberty traits in beef cattle are important
criteria for evaluating the utilization of breeds
for different beef production systems. Puberty
has been studied in several domestic breeds
(Reynolds et al., 1963; Wiltbank et al., 1966;
Piasse et al., 1968) and the literature on
production traits in breeds of Western Europe
was summarized by Mason (1971), but little
information is available on puberty and preg-
nancy in domestic and Western European
breeds evaluated under similar management
conditions.
This study involved evaluation of growth
and puberty in different biological types of
beef cattle, represented by breed groups varying
in growth rate, mature size and lactation
potential; and an examination of the relation-
ships of growth, puberty and pregnancy in
these different breed groups.
MATERIALS A N D METHODS
This study involved 945 female calves pro-
duced in the cattle germ plasm evaluation
program at the U.S. Meat Animal Research
Center. The experimental design of this pro-
gram was given previously by Smith et al.
(1976b). The program involved breeding Here-
ford and Angus cows to sires of the Hereford,
Angus, Jersey, South Devon, Limousin, Charo-
lais and Simmental breeds. Three calf crops
were born in March, April and May of 1970,
1971 and 1972. Heifers were weaned in Octo-
ber or November at an average of 217 days of
age.
Following weaning, heifers were randomized
by breed group to five feedlot pens (all breed
groups represented in each pen) and fed ad
libitum a ration consisting of approximately
50% corn silage and 50% grass haylage with
meet N.R.C. requirements. Heifers were bred
by artificial insemination (AI) for 42 to 45 days
followed by 21 to 25 days of natural mating.
JOURNAL OF ANIMALSCIENCE, Vol. 43, No. 1, 1976

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64 LASTER, SMITH AND GREGORY

Average age was 430 days at the beginning of

AI breeding. Estrus was checked visually twice
daily from an average of 250 days of age to the
end of the natural breeding period, except
estrus was determined only to the end of the AI
breeding period in calves born in 1970. Heifers
that calved were classified as pregnant and
those that did not calve were classified as
non-pregnant. Body weights were taken at .: ,. ~ :
28-day intervals from weaning to beginning of
AI breeding, at the end of AI breeding and at [--

approximately 550 days of age. [--

Puberty age was defined as the age at first

observed, standing estrus. Weight at puberty
was calculated by adding weaning weight to Z
<
"r'
postweaning ADG times days from weaning to [--
puberty. Adjusted values were determined for
age and weight at puberty for each breed group,
because estrus was not observed in all animals z
of each breed group causing the observed values Z

to be biased downward. This adjustment re- N

l--
moves the bias in the overall mean and allows
unbiased comparisons of breed groups differing G
in percentage observed in estrus (Dickerson and
Hazel, 1944; Dickerson and Laster, 1975). N
N
Relative growth rate (RGR) as presented in z I "~ :
this study is rate of growth relative to instanta- Z
neous size and is approximated by the differ-
ence between the natural logarithm of two
weights divided by the length of the time
interval (Fitzhugh and Taylor, 1971). Relative Z
growth rate in this study is equal to the percent M ~ ' 4 . . . . .

change in body weight per day.

Weight-age curves were determined by qua-
m
dratic regression of breed group means for each N
28-day weight on days fed separately for each .1

breed group and year. Corrected sums of Z

squares and products were pooled over the 3 O

years to obtain breed group regressions. The
percentage reaching puberty by various ages
was plotted against weights from the weight-age
curves to obtain percent puberty-weight curves U
Z
for each breed group; thus, accounting only for
age change in live weight (Dickerson et al.,
1974). ~a
._=
Data were analyzed by least squares, mixed <
model procedures described by Harvey (1972).
The model for all growth and puberty traits
included the fixed effects of sire breed, dam
breed, dam age and all two-way interactions a=

between these effects. Year within sire breed

and sires within year within sire breed were
included as random effects with the sire within
year within sire breed mean square used to test XX
for sire breed differences and the residual mean

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 POSTWEAN1NG GROWTH A N D PUBERTY OF HEIFERS 65

~t +I +I +I +l +l +I +l +I +I +I
P.

o +I +I +I +I § +I +I § § +I
Z

0
t~

~ 0 >-,"0
+I +I +I § +I +I § +I +I +I

+1 § +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1
Z

I=

~F E
@ 0
+1 +) +1 +1 +1 +~ +~ +1 +I +l

z
Z

+l +[ +l ~t +1 +1 +l +t +t +1

~ ~ ~ ..

< .-
~= =~
N
+) +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 -tq +1

r,
9

m
Z '~'e, +l § § +i +1 § +1 +1 +1 +;

.= 0 >..

+1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +* +1 +1 +1

<
m~mmm~
M
,4
M
< ~ 1::
[...

%
MIIIN ~
0

Downloaded from jas.fass.org at UNESP - JABOTICABAL on September 21, 2010.

66 LASTER, SMITHAND GREGORY

square used to test all other effects. 35C

AA ST RAIGHTSRED ANGUS
HH STRAtGHTBRED HEREFORD
H A, A H CROSSBRED HEREFORD-ARGUS
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION J JERSEY -CROSSES
SO SOUTH D E V O N - C R O S S E S
L LIMOUSIN ~ CROSSES
Growth 32~ C CHAROLAIS - CROSSES
S" - SIMMENTAL - CROSSES
Results from the analysis of variance for
postweaning growth are shown in table 1 and
breed group means for pre- and postweaning
30C
growth rates are presented in table 2. All traits
mentioned in this paper were analyzed by the
procedure described by Harvey (1972). Mean d
squares (table 1) are given only for traits with ~ 27~
bJ
significant differences among sire breed means
and for comparison which are most relevant to
the discussion in the text. Breed group compari-
25s
sons for birth weight and preweaning relative
growth rate reported by Smith et al. (1976b)
are a more precise estimate of the values for
these breed crosses than values given in table 2, 22. =

because those comparisons include both male

and female calves. The values provided in this
paper represent data only from heifers on
which puberty data were obtained. Actual
weaning weights of heifers from the different
breed crosses rank the same as the adjusted
200-day weights for calves of both sexes (Smith
et al., 1976b), except for the Limousin crosses
which were 6 days younger at weaning than the
overall average weaning age for the hiefers.
Sire breed, year within sire breed, and sire
within year within sire breed affected (P<.01)
all pre- and postweaning growth traits (table 1).
Actual weaning weights were similar for Charo-
lais, Simmental, South Devon and Hereford-
Angus crosses and higher for these breed crosses
than for Limousin and Jersey crosses (table 2).
Jersey crosses gained less from weaning to 400
days of age and their RGR during this period
was less than other breed crosses (table 2 and
figure 1). At 400 days of age Charolais,
Simmental and South Devon crosses were heavi-
est, while Hereford-Angus and Limousin crosses
were intermediate and Jersey crosses were
lighest (table 2 and figure 1). Weights at 400
days of age were similar for straightbred Here-
ford and Jersey crosses and straightbred Angus
were similar to Limousin and Hereford-Angus
crosses.
Dam age affected (P~.01) all growth traits,
except ADG from 400 to 450 days of age (AI
breeding period). Preweaning growth and
weight at 400 days of age increased as cow age
increased. ADG from weaning to 400 days of
age decreased as dam age increased, indicating
compensatory postweaning gain for heifer
30 60 90 120 150 180 210
DAYS ON FEED
Figure 1. Body weights of the breed gxoupsduring
the postweaning period.
calves from younger cows.
All growth traits, except ADG from weaning
to 400 days of age, were influenced (P<.01) by
dam breed. Calves from Angus dams were 11 kg
heavier at weaning and 9 kg heavier at 400 days
of age than those from Hereford dams. There
was a significant breed-of-sire by breed-of-dam
interaction for weaning weight and 400-day
weight. This was partially due to heterosis in
Hereford-Angus crosses compared to the
straightbreds and partially due to an interaction
between transmitted effects for growth due to
sire breed and maternal effects due to dam
breed. Weaning weight of Jersey sired calves
from Angus dams was only 3 kg heavier than
those from Hereford dams, while calves sired by
South Devon, Limousin, Charolais and Sim-
mental calves from Angus dams were from 9 to
17 kg heavier than calves from Hereford dams.
This breed-of-sire by breed-of-dam interaction
for weaning weight indicates that calves with a
higher genetic growth potential responded more
to the presumably higher milk production levels
of the Angus dam during preweaning growth.
The 400-day weights of heifers sired by Limou-
sin and Charolais sires were 12 kg heavier from
Angus dams than those from Hereford dams,
but heifers from Angus and Hereford dams by

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 POSTWEANINGGROWTHAND PUBERTYOF HEIFERS 67

the other sire breeds ranged from 3 kg heavier by Charolais and Limousin than when sired by
for those from Angus dams to 3 kg heavier for the earlier maturing breeds.
those from Hereford dams. The physiological Dam Breed. Breed of dam averaged over all
basis for this interaction is not obvious to the sire breeds had a large (P<.01) effect on
authors. Rank and relative differences of breed percentage of heifers reaching puberty from
groups for postweaning growth of the heifers 270 to 510 days of age in favor of Angus dams.
was similar to their steer mates (Smith et al., Breed of dam differences in percentage reaching
1976a). puberty at different days of age were as follows
with the values shown indicating Angus minus
Percentage Reaching Puberty Hereford dam differences: 270, 2%; 300, 10%;
Sire Breed. Breed of sire influenced (P<.01) 330, 15%; 360, 18%; 390, 16%;420, 13%;450,
percentage of heifers reaching puberty by 270 9%; 480, 7%; and 510~ 5%. These differences
to 510 days of age (table 1 and figure 2). For were larger than the differences between recip-
percentage reaching puberty during the period rocal cross Hereford-Angus and Angus-Hereford
from 300 to 450 days of age, breed crosses breed groups (270, 2.4%; 300, 6.3%; 300,
basically divided into three groups (figure 2). A --.5%; 360, 8%; 390, 10%; 420, -2%; 450,
higher (P<.05) percentage of Jersey-cross heif- -3%; 480, 0%; 510, 0%) indicating that at least
ers reached puberty and a lower (P<.05) part of the difference was due to transmitted
percentage of Limousin and Charolais crosses effects of the Angus breed as well as any
reached puberty within this age range with maternal (milk) effect of the dam.
South Devon, Hereford-Angus and Simmental Dam Age. Effects of dam age on percentage
crosses intermediate. reaching puberty by 390 days of age (table 1)
Individual sires within breed (Sire/year/ was largely because fewer heifers from 2-year-
breed) influenced (P<.01) percentage of heifers old dams had reached puberty by 390 days of
reaching puberty from 270 to 390 days of age age, but the percentage increased as dam age
(table 1). This indicates that physiological increased from 2 to 5 years and older. The
maturity is influenced by genetic variation mean percentage reaching puberty for all breed
within a breed; therefore, percentage of heifers groups at 390 days of age was 62% and the
reaching puberty at an early age and average percentages for each of the four age of dam
puberty age could be affected by selection classifications were 51, 61, 65 and 71% for
within a breed. cows 2, 3, 4 or 5 years and older. Dam-breed by
There was a breed-of-sire by breed-of-dam dam-age interaction is discussed in the section
interaction effect (P<.01) on percentage of on pregnancy.
heifers reaching puberty by 510 days of age. Heterosis. Heterosis effects were large for
This interaction resulted from a greater differ- percentage reaching puberty between 300 and
ence in percentage of heifers reaching puberty 510 days of age. By 510 days of age, 100% of
out of Angus than Hereford dams when sired the Hereford-Angus crosses had reached pu-
berty compared to 92% of the Hereford and
Angus straightbreds. Heterosis effects on per-
IOa centage reaching puberty at the different days
.* ,... c,om~ . E ~ - *.*us of age were: 300, 9%; 330, 11%; 360, 13%;
e~
390, 20%; 420, 6%; 450, 14%; 480, 12%; and
510, 8%.
To

Age and Weight at Puberty

r- ,
Sire Breed. Average age and weight at
puberty for different breed groups are pre-
.J
/"2 : sented in table 3. Age and weight at puberty
were significantly affected by sire breed, sires
within breed, dam breed and dam age (table 1).
Jersey crosses were youngest at puberty,
2"to 300 ~30 3r 390
A G E . DAYS
4?.0 4..-0 coo 5~0 Limousin and Charolais crosses were oldest,
with Hereford-Angus, South Devon and Sim-
Figure 2. Percentage of heifers in each breed cross mental crosses intermediate. Thus, breed
reaching puberty at 240 to 510 days of age. crosses rank the same for age at puberty as the

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68 LASTER, SMITH AND GREGORY

percentage reaching puberty by 300 to 450
days of age (figure 2 and table 3). The ranking
of the breed crosses for percentage reaching
puberty by 300 to 450 days of age and age at
puberty is similar to the ranking of the final
maturity scores (based primarily on visual
evidence for ossification of bone cartilage) of
the steer carcasses from the male mates to these
heifers (Koch et al., 1976). The strong associa-
tion between these two independent measures
of sexual maturity indicates there is a differ-
ence in rate of sexual maturity among the
different breed crosses.
Jersey crosses were lightest in weight at
puberty, followed by Hereford-Angus and
South Devon crosses, next were Limousin and
Simmental crosses, and Charolais crosses were
heaviest (table 3). Ranking of the breed crosses
for weight at puberty is similar to the ranking
for birth weight and 400-day weight, except
weight at puberty for Limousin crosses was
heavier relative to their birth weight and
400-day weight than the other breed crosses
(tables 2 and 3). This seems to further indicate
that Limousin crosses reach a similar stage of
sexual maturity at a later age and heavier
weight relative to their rate of growth and that
Charolais crosses reach this stage of sexual
maturity at a later age than other breed crosses
represented in this study.
The significant sire-breed by dam-age inter-
action on puberty age and percentage reaching
puberty by 390 days of age (table 1) was due to
the tendency for increased dam age to decrease
age at puberty more in Jersey crosses, and to a
lesser extent the Hereford and Angus-sired
breed groups, than other breed crosses. This
suggests that breed crosses with a greater
genetic capability to reach puberty at a young
age had more opportunity for expression of this
trait with increased levels of milk during the
preweaning period. These results are consistent
with the sire-breed by dam-breed interaction
for weaning weight. Average 200-day weights
for male and female calves for 2-, 3-, 4- and
~>5-year-old dams were 171 -+ 1.7, 191 -+ 1.7,
205 -+ 1.8 and 212 + 1.7 kg (Smith et al.,
1976b).
Figure 3 shows the percentage of animals in
a given breed cross that had reached puberty at
different average weights. A comparison of
average weights at puberty of different breed
crosses in table 3 to the data in figure 3 reveal
that less than 50% of the heifers of any breed
cross had reached puberty when the average
weight for that breed cross was equal to the
average weight at puberty given in table 3. It is
interesting to note that the means for age at
puberty (table 3) correspond very closely to
median age at puberty (age at which 50%
reached puberty). Age at puberty was normally
distributed, but weight at puberty was skewed
to the left causing the procedure used to adjust
(to 100% puberty) mean weight at puberty to

TABLE 3. AGE AND WEIGHT AT PUBERTY BY BREED GROUP

Age at Weight at
Breed group a No. puberty, daysb puberty, kgb

Hereford 62 415 +8 274 + 5

Angus 64 366 • 8 255 +-4
Heterosisc -19.5" -+8 1.5+-4

HA+AH 132 371 z7 266 +5

Jersey- X 117 322 +- 7 219 -+ 5
S. Devon- X 120 364 -+6 274 -+4
Limousin - X 161 398 +-6 292 _+4
Charolais -- X 132 398 • 7 303 -+ 5
Simmental -- X 157 372 • 6 286 +-4

Hereford dams 504 389 -~ 3 278 -+ 2

Angus dams 441 363 • 3 269 +2

aH = Hereford; A = Angus; Jersey - X = Jersey sires by Hereford and Angus dams, et cetera.
bAdjusted (See Materials and Methods).
CHeterosis = Mean for HA + AH minus mean for Hereford + Angus.
9 *P<.05.

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 POSTWEANING GROWTH
I00
90
80
?0
st
~'-50
K
z
3O
20
i l ~ i i i
215 230 245 260 275
Figure 3. Percentage of heifers reaching puberty at the average weights for the breed cross.
consistently underestimate the mean. The fact
that age at puberty is normally distributed, but
weight is not, is consistent with the curvilinear
growth curves shown in figure 1.
Dam Breed and Age. Heifers from Angus
dams reached puberty 26 days earlier (P<.01)
and were 9 kg lighter (P<.01) than those from
Hereford dams (table 3). Dam age affected
(P<.01) age and weight at puberty with heifers
from younger dams reaching puberty at an
older age and at a lighter weight. Puberty ages
of heifers for different ages of dam were 387,
368, 353 and 357 days and puberty weights
were 258, 267, 269 and 276 kg for 2-, 3-, 4-
and/>5 year-old-dams, respectively.
Heterosis. It has been reported previously
t h a t heterosis affects puberty age (Wiltbank et
al., 1966). In the present study, puberty age
was 19.5 days earlier (P<.05) in the Hereford-
Angus crosses than the average for the straight-
breds (table 3). In the study by Wiltbank et al.
(!966) heterosis effects for age at puberty were
41 days for heifers fed on a low wintering level
and 35 days for those fed on a high wintering
level suggesting that growth rate influences the
estimate of heterosis for puberty age. Heterosis
had little effect on weight at puberty (table 3).
Pregnancy
There was no significant (P>.O1) effect of
sire breed on pregnancy percentage. The only
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AND PUBERTY OF HEIFERS 69
9 . . . . . . . . . _ .__..,. . .. .. ._. . e. .-. . . . . ,
i i i i i
290 305 320 335 350 395 380
WEIGHT, kg
factors evaluated which significantly affected
pregnancy were sire-breed by dam-breed
(P<.01) and dam-breed by dam-age (P<.05)
interactions. Pregnancy percentages were higher
for Limousin, Charolais and Simmental crosses
from Angus dams than from Hereford dams,
while in Jersey and South Devon crosses preg-
nancy percentages were in favor of Hereford
dams. This suggests that heterosis effects could
be greater with Herefords than Angus when
crossed with British breeds than when crossed
with Limousin, Charolais and Simmental breeds
or that the heifers sired by the larger sire breeds
had a higher growth potential; thus, enabling
them to utilize the higher milk production of
the Angus dams without the detriment of
excess fattening.
Pregnancy percentage increased in heifers
from Hereford dams as dam age increased from
2 to 4 years of age, but was higher in heifers
from 2- and 3-year-old Angus dams than in
those from Angus dams 4 and I>5 years of age.
Pregnancy percentages were 76, 82, 90 and 88
for heifers from 2-, 3-, 4- and >~5-year-old
Hereford dams and 89, 90, 81 and 82 for 2-, 3-,
4- and ~>5-year-otd Angus dams accounting for
the significant dam-breed by dam-age interac-
tion. It should be noted the pregnancy percent-
ages were similar for heifers from Hereford
dams 4 and 5 years or older to those from 2-
and 3-year-old Angus dams. One possible expla-
70 LASTER, SMITH AND GREGORY
nation is that under the conditions of this
study, higher levels of milk production in
Hereford dams associated with increased age
increased reproductive performance and that a
milk production level above that produced by
3-year-old Angus dams tended to decrease
pregnancy percentage in their progeny when
bred as yearlings. Cundiff e t al. (1974) reported
that heifers produced from Hereford cows and
Angus sires had a higher (8.1 -+ 4.1%) pregnancy
percentage at the end of breeding than those
from Angus cows and Hereford sires. It appears
that part of the reason for the lower pregnancy
percentage for heifers from 2- and 3-year-old
Hereford dams may have been the lower per-
centage of heifers from these ages of dam
reaching puberty; however, this was n o t the
reason for the lower pregnancy percentage in
heifers from older Angus dams. Percentage of
heifers reaching puberty by 510 days of age
were 90, 92, 98 and 95 from 2-, 3-, 4 - a n d
~>5-year-old Hereford dams and 100, 100, 94
and 99 for heifers from comparable ages of
Angus dams. Preweaning average daily gains for
heifers from 2-, 3-, 4- and ~5-year-old Here-
ford dams were .65, .74, .80 and .83 kg and
.70, .79, .83 and .88 kg for heifers from 2-, 3-,
4- and ~>5-year-old Angus dams. Results from
both this study and the one by Cundiff e t al.
(1974) indicate that preweaning maternal per-
formance affects subsequent reproductive
performance of offspring and that there is an
optimum preweaning growth rate of optimum
breeding performance of yearlings.
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