Factors Associated with Temperament of Beef Cattle

Abstract

Temperament is one of the most important factors concerning the easiness of handling cattle as an individual. This paper describes the relationships between the temperament scores of about 200 beef cattle within the range of 1 (mild) to 4 (nervous) and six variables (management, age, weight gain, live weight, sex and breed), and also describes the heritability of temperament score. Of the variables studied, management and age were most closely associated with temperament. Temperament score was significantly influenced by changing the management routine. The cattle became relatively mild with age, though the individual animal variation in temperament did not fundamentally change through life. The mean temperament score for Japanese Black breed tended to be higher than that for Japanese Shorthorn breed. The traits on weight and sex showed no apparent relationships to temperament score. Estimates of heritability for temperament were found to be 0.448 (P<0.05) calculated by multiplying the paternal half-sib correlation by four and 0.666 (P<0.01) by multiplying the correlation coefficient between the temperament scores for dams and offsprings. It is concluded that selection based on temperament, facilities which conduct the smooth flow of animals without disturbance and the gentle management without excitable sound, especially in early life, are essential for improving the weighing temperament of cattle. Jpn. J. Zootech. Sci., 52 (8) : 595-605, 1981 The more skilful technique is required for managing the cattle which are difficult to handle. In our preliminary work (unpublished), the cattle which had mild temperament were manageable when restrained for branding and when took alone by cattleman. Temperament is one of the most important factors concerning easiness of handling the cattle as an individual, but few data on temperament of beef cattle are available. This paper reports the relationships between the mean temperament scores of about 200 animals on the scale, which were summarised by allotting points within the range 1 (mild) to 4 (nervous), and six variables (management, age, weight gain, live weight, sex and breed), and also reports the heritability of temperament score. Materials and Methods This work was carried out at Kawatabi Farm of Tohoku University, Narugo, Miyagi (38•Ž 44'N, 140•‹15'E). The herd used was taken from a unsupplemented breeding group of Kawatabi Present Address: