SD Female Type Classification - Guide for Members

SOUTH DEVON HERD BOOK SOCIETY Westpoint, Clyst St Mary, Exeter, Devon, EX5 1DJ Tel: 01392 447494 e-mail: caroline@sdhbs.org.uk www.sdhbs.org.uk

FEMALE TYPE CLASSIFICATION The Society is offering a Type Classification service for South Devon females which is another ‘tool in the box’ for selection of breeding females with strong maternal traits, structural soundness, and beef character.

Herds signing up for the service, which is offered independently through the National Bovine Data Centre (NBDC), are required to make available all their first-time calvers, plus any older cows they might choose to be measured.

A specially trained professional classifier then assesses 14 different traits which are grouped into four functional composites – body conformation, beef character, legs & feet, and mammary.

A final score is given ranging from Excellent to Poor, and this score is denoted wherever the animal’s name is published on the Society database, pedigree certificates, sale catalogues, etc, for easy evaluation.

SCORING PROCEDURE AND REQUIREMENTS FINAL SCORE POINTING Excellent (EX) Very Good (VG) Good Plus (GP) Good (G) Fair (F) Poor (P)

90-97 85-89 80-84 75-79 70-74 <70

MAXIMUM POINTS 1st Calver 2nd Calver 3rd Calver 4th Calver 5th +

89 points 89 points 93 points 95 points 97 points

RESTRICTED POINTING ON COMPOSITE BOXES 2nd Calver VG89 No restriction rd 3 Calver Excellent Final score 93 points maximum Composite boxes – maximum EX97, minimum VG85 for all four boxes th 4 Calver Excellent Final score 95 points maximum Composite boxes – maximum EX97, minimum VG85 for all four boxes th 5 Calver Excellent Final score 97 points maximum Composite boxes – maximum EX97, minimum VG85 for all four boxes FINAL SCORE CALCULATION FROM FUNCTIONAL TRAIT COMPOSITE (4 box breakdown) The final score is calculated from the subjective trait breakdown at the following ratio: Body conformation Beef character Legs & feet Mammary

25% 25% 30% 20%

LINEAR TRAITS MAKING UP THE FOUR FUNCTIONAL TRAIT COMPOSITES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Stature from 130 cm to 154 cm Chest width Body depth Length from withers to pelvis Rump width Rump angle Rear legs side view Foot angle Rear legs rear view Development of hindquarters Locomotion Udder attachment Udder depth Teat length

CLASSIFICATION FEES BY NUMBER OF FEMALES 1 – 10 11 - 15 16 - 100 101 – 150 151 +

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£65 £100 £6.50 £3.00 £2.00

eg, 153 females would be charged as follows: 100 @ £6.50: 50 @ £3.00; 3 @ £2.00 All costs exclude VAT

PROCEDURAL POINTS - Members should notify the SDHBS if they wish to classify - Animals must be inspected on a hard surface and presented to the classifier individually - Animals must be in milk to be classified - All first calf heifers must be presented for inspection; older animals at the discretion of the owner - Animals may be re-presented for classification at subsequent visits - The age of the cow and the number of calves will be taken into consideration by the classifier - The final score will be displayed after the animalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name - The composite scores will be displayed on the online database

IMPORTANT: Type classification does not serve as a replacement for recording Breedplan EBVs! Type classification is a subjective tool, whereas EBVs take into consideration an animalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s genetic potential