Temperament and bruising of Bos indicus cross cattle

Abstract

This experiment investigated the temperaments of 232 Bos indicus cross steers and the relationship between temperament and bruising in bovine carcasses. The temperament of each animal was assessed while held in a race by rating the vigour of movement and the degree of audible respiration when handled about the head and shoulders. These scores and scores for other behaviours were combined to form a temperament score for each animal. The five groups of steers used varied significantly in temperament (P< 0.01); this was considered to be primarily a function of their previous handling experience. There was a significant negative correlation between temperament score and liveweight (P < 0.01). In this group of relatively quiet steers no significant relationship between temperament and carcass bruising at slaughter was found.