Correlations among variables measured on live beef cattle and variables measured on their carcasses

A study of 48 yearling Angus bulls was undertaken to examine the possibility of estimating an animal's own carcass merit from certain easily obtainable live-animal measurements. A step-wise regression procedure was used to construct equations for predicting dressing percent, marbling score, kidney fat, carcass grade and percent yield from linear combinations of live-animal variables which included age; birth weight; slaughter weight; heart girth; distances along dorsal midline from withers to last rib, from last rib to hooks, and from hooks to pins and width at hooks. Dressing percent was best predicted by a combination of age, heart girth, width and birth weight (R = 0.48). Marbling score and carcass grade were best predicted by the same combination of independent variables, viz., age, heart girth, and slaughter weight (R = 0.39 and 0.28, respectively). Percent kidney fat was best predicted by a combination of age, heart girth, width and slaughter weight (R = 0.50). Percent yield was best predicted by age, width and birth weight (R = 0.41). It was concluded that the results provide a sound hypothetical basis for planning further studies of this kind.