Cattle fed less than adequate nutrition will grow more slowly and achieve a smaller size than that which the tables indicate, while cattle fed extremely high levels will grow faster but generally not much taller than the height indicated in the tables.įrame scores should be used only as guides because inaccuracies can occur due to nutrition, as described above, but also due to other factors such as: However, the frame score can change for animals that mature earlier or later than average animals within their frame group.Įnvironmental factors can also alter an animal’s growth rate from its genetic capability, and hence can alter its eventual height. This allows one frame score value to be used regardless of when the animal was evaluated. Most animals should maintain the same frame score throughout their life, while actual height increases with age.

Overall economic return should determine the optimum frame size for individual situations.įrame score is a convenient way of describing the skeletal size of cattle. No one frame size for an animal will be best for all feed resources, breeding system and market specification. This is especially important when selecting feeder steers to be fattened for the long-fed Japanese trade.Ī convenient way to discuss and evaluate height is in units of 'frame score' based on the height over the hips at a given age (refer to Table 3 and Table 4). Taller animals generally grow more quickly and lay down less fat than do shorter animals (McKiernan et al. The height of the animal has also been found to be a useful indicator of animal performance in the feedlot-as an indicator of maturity. However, the best prediction of weight and performance of resultant progeny from breeding stock is obtained by using weight records expressed as 'estimated breeding values' (EBVs). In this way, frame size can be a helpful adjunct to other performance records when selecting stock. Height can also be used as an aid to predict the growth and fattening pattern of a beast, as well as its mature size. It may assist the breeder to determine where animals best fit into a breeding program-whether, for example, a bull is better suited to producing vealers or steers. The height of a beef animal at a given age can be used as a measure of its maturity type, or growth curve potential.

Beef animal age