Page 214 - The Welfare of Cattle

ranChInG WIth InteGrItY and IntentIonaLItY 191

by-product of beef production. Eventually, an innovative solution will provide an alternative but
until then most extensively managed ranches will continue the practice.

Breeding and Genetics

Selection of breeding stock is a critical control point relative to several specific traits of
importance that impact animal well-being. These include polledness (natural absence of horns),
dystocia, traits affecting nutritional requirements, soundness, and disposition. Polled cattle
(without horns) are desirable on a ranch for a variety of reasons—elimination of the need for
mechanical dehorning, less bruising and injury of cattle during handling and transport, enhanced
safety for people, and enhanced ease of handling cattle. The polled allele is dominant and thus
horns can be eliminated from a herd by the use of homozygous polled herd sires over several
generations. This decision is simple to implement and in addition to improving animal well-
being, the market place discriminates against horned cattle as they sell for discounted prices
compared to polled cattle. The industry has steadily decreased the number of horned cattle in
favor of those naturally polled.
Dystocia or calving difficulty is particularly prevalent in young breeding females calving for
the first time. However, through intentional and disciplined selection of sires to be mated to first-
calf heifers, the incidence of dystocia can be minimized. While malpresentation of the calf during
parturition is random and not under the influence of genetic control, birth weight and other fac-
tors contributing to ease of calving can be influenced through genetic selection. Ease of calving is
important as it reduces stress on the calving females, her offspring, and caretakers. An additional
advantage is that females that calve without undue stress or human intervention are more likely to
experience better lifetime reproductive rates.
The nutritional requirements of livestock are influenced by a number of factors. Two of these are
traits that are influenced through genetic selection are mature size and milk production. Animals
that have high levels of milk production and large mature sizes require more energy to meet met-
abolic maintenance than their smaller and lower milk-producing contemporaries. Matching the
appropriate level of mature size and milk production to the nutritional resources of a specific ranch
is important to assure that livestock can have their nutritional needs met within the constraints of
the ranch’s resource capability. When livestock have metabolic needs that frequently exceed the
ability of the grazing resource to meet those needs, supplemental feeds must be purchased to assure
their continued health. Under extreme circumstances this situation forces managers into decisions
that compromise either the economic sustainability of the ranch or the short-term well-being of their
livestock. Appropriate matching of livestock type to the nutritional capacity of the ranch reduces the
likelihood of being faced with the aforementioned trade-off.
Physical soundness and the absence of defects can be influenced through breeding stock selec-
tion. Livestock with correctly formed hooves, leg and joint structure, udders, and other functional
traits are more likely to thrive under extensive ranch management. Animals that are functionally
sound require less intervention from their handlers to treat injuries, lameness, and udder prob-
lems with the dual benefit of less stress for animals and lowered costs for the enterprise. Selection
for livestock that are best suited to a particular ecosystem is a critical decision for managers. For
example, cattle raised at high elevations (above 5,000 feet) may experience brisket disease result-
ing from excessive pulmonary arterial pressure. Fortunately, there is a protocol to measure differ-
ences between animals so that sire selection can be focused to choose those animals least likely to
experience distress under high elevation conditions. Similarly, livestock production in those regions
closer to the tropics requires selection for animals that are well suited to conditions where higher
temperatures, humidity, and parasite loads are prevalent. In the cattle industry, the use of Brahman-
influenced genetics has been an effective solution.