Barry York
Barry York
Barry York
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Prospects for game with the<br />
application of production recording.<br />
<strong>Barry</strong> <strong>York</strong>
Conserving our wildlife.
Why Wildlife?<br />
“The keeping of animals that are in harmony<br />
with the environment in which they are<br />
maintained brings about maximum utilization of<br />
natural resources”<br />
Professor Jan Bonsma (Man must measure).
Wildlife has evolved mainly<br />
due to Natural Selection
Understanding Genetics<br />
“The effect of a dominant allele (B) is seen in the black puppy<br />
even if it is present with a contrasting recessive allele (b).”<br />
Because a gene is dominant, this does not<br />
necessarily make it good or bad!
Polled Cattle - Dominant Gene<br />
PP = Poled cattle<br />
Pp = Poled cattle<br />
pp = Horned cattle
Dexter Cattle - Dominant Gene<br />
A bulldog calf is a deformed<br />
aborted fetus and in the past<br />
has been a genetic-related<br />
problem in a number of cattle<br />
breeds, especially Dexters.
Multiple or Polly Genes<br />
Human skin colour
Bell Shaped Curve
SELECTION CRITERIA FOR EFFICIENT<br />
WILDLIFE PRODUCTION<br />
SELECTION AIM: “The prime aim of selection is to identify superior<br />
animals and use them for breeding so that the<br />
efficiency and profitability of the herd is improved.”<br />
CHOICE OF SELECTION TRAITS:<br />
Fertility – calving ease and calf survival<br />
Hide and hair colour – colour variants<br />
Horn growth or trophy size<br />
Growth rate– venison production
Fertility – amongst cows<br />
Brahman and Jersey cows: The body profile of the sterile or sub<br />
fertile cow (Left) and the highly fertile cow (right).
Fertility – amongst Bulls<br />
A<br />
A<br />
B<br />
A = Bull with low fertility<br />
B<br />
B<br />
= Bull with high fertility
Hide and hair colour<br />
7-8% of the live mass of an animal
Percentage sun light reflected<br />
Different coat colour amongst Afrikander cattle
Buffalo keeping cool in the shade.
Golden Wildebeest's shinny hide reflecting heat rays
Un-adapted cattle
White Wildebeest
White Wildebeest
White Lion<br />
Select on pigmentation<br />
not just fur colour
Shifting the average of the curve
Measuring Wildebeest Horns RW
Measuring Wildebeest Horns SCI
Horn growth or trophy size<br />
The influence of sex hormones on hair, muscular<br />
development and skeletal growth is shown on three<br />
animals, all 12 years old.<br />
From left to right: steer castrated at six months, steer<br />
castrated at two years and intact bull.
Body size<br />
700<br />
600<br />
500<br />
400<br />
300<br />
200<br />
100<br />
0<br />
Gestation period of animals - Days
Select a bull with a holistic approach<br />
1. The more traits you<br />
select for the more<br />
difficult it is to<br />
achieve your goal.<br />
2. Select for criteria that<br />
takes your specific<br />
breeding project<br />
forward.<br />
3. Keep a balanced<br />
approach
Age of sexual maturity in bulls<br />
Signs:<br />
GNUNGG<br />
Flehmen response
“Golden Wildebeest bulls contribute over 80% of<br />
the genetic progress in a herd. Selection of top<br />
quality breeding bulls is therefore of vital<br />
importance to any breeding program.”
Breeding Plans
Inbreeding
Line Breeding
How to shift the mean?<br />
Corrective mating<br />
Assorted mating (Best to Best)
“Golden Breeders Breeding plan”
Identify the best young Golden Bulls!<br />
2012 “Veld-Bull-Test”
Selecting the best young Golden Bulls!
The top 5 performance tested bulls from 2012<br />
are now in their own individual breeding herds
“Golden Breeders Breeding plan”
Analyse data of progeny and<br />
performance of calves
“Golden Breeders Breeding plan”
Selecting Elite Heifers – From Breeding Herds
Age at first calving and mothering<br />
ability!!
Shifting the mean
Make the correct breeding choices
THE WAY FORWARD
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