Hot Carcass Weight

From BIF Guidelines Wiki
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.


The weight of the carcass as it leaves the slaughter floor measured by a digital scale.

Adjusted Value

Hot carcass weight is adjusted to an age-constant basis.

Contemporary Group

A contemporary group is a set of cattle of the same sex that have been raised together and have received equal treatment up to the point of slaughter. All progeny within a contemporary group should ideally be born within a 90-day period, and male calves must be castrated. A contemporary group up to the time of weaning will be subdivided if some cattle go on feed as calves and others are started on feed as yearlings, and if the cattle are then split into two or more slaughter groups. Birth date, identification of sire and dam, breed of dam (or breed proportions in crossbred dams) should be recorded for all individuals.

Genetic Evaluation

Carcass weight is generally included in a multiple-trait model with other carcass traits such as ribeye area (carcass and ultrasound). An early growth trait (e.g., birth or weaning weight) may also be included to account for sequential culling if the genetic covariance is sufficient. Only direct genetic effects are fitted.

Usage

Hot carcass weight is an economically relevant trait given it represents a direct source of revenue, particularly for those producers that retain ownership of fed cattle and sell the animals on a carcass basis.