1. Selecting and Judging Dairy Cattle
Animal Science I Dairy Unit

2. Selecting Desirable Breeding and Production Animals
Based upon
Physical appearance
Health
Milk production records
Pedigree

3. Physical Appearance Referred to as type Confirmation of the animal
Closely related to production
Cows with good type usually produce more milk for longer periods of time

4. Health Records
Includes history of vaccinations and general herd health
Apparent health of the animal is also important

5. Milk Production Records
May or may not be available
Records give some indication of the possible production of the offspring of the cow

6. Production Records
Show the pounds of milk produced and the percent milk fat
To properly evaluate milk production records the following information is needed
Number of times milked per day
Age
Feed
Care
Length of time the cow carried a calf during each lactation
Can only give an estimate of the ability of the cow to transfer high production ability to her daughters
Best indicator of a cow’s transmitting ability is in the records of her offspring.

7. Pedigree Record of the animals ancestors
Most valuable pedigrees for selection give for each ancestor
Name
Registration number
Type rating
Production record
Show-ring winnings
Study carefully they can sometimes be misleading

8. Judging Dairy Animals
See p
Terms p

9. Steps in Judging http://www.uvm.edu/~jagilmor/judging/jud ging.html
wcl2.html

10. Summary
Physical appearance, health, milk production records and pedigrees are important factors to consider when selecting dairy animals for breeding and production
Animals are judged by comparing the animal being judged with an ideal dairy type as described on the The Dairy Cow Unified Score Card
Desirable traits are related to the cows ability to produce milk for a long period of time
The mammary system is the most important part of the cow
Follow a routine when judging dairy cattle
First impression are usually the most accurate
Use dairy judging terms when giving oral reasons