What to Look for in a Beef Calf

When selecting a beef calf, you want to look at its conformation to determine the animal's quality. If the calf is from purebred registered parents then also look at its genetic records. To judge a calf's conformation, walk into the pen and carefully look at it from all four sides. Observe the shapes of the animal's individual body parts and how they fit together. Compare the animal with a mental picture of how the ideal beef calf looks.

  1. Use and Environment

    • Selection criteria for a calf should be based on its proposed use and the environment to which it will be subjected. If the calf is to be grass-fattened, select a heavy-muscled, small framed animal with ancestors that produced offspring with slow growth rates. A female animal that raises calves to be sold at weaning, needs the ability to produce fast-gaining, high-lean offspring. The United States has diverse environmental conditions, so a single breed or crossbred-type cannot be expected to excel everywhere. Brahman-influenced cattle perform well in the South, while they exhibit less than optimum production in the northern part of the country. The cow type should be matched with the production environment.

    Structural Soundness

    • Structural soundness is one of the first evaluations in selecting beef calves. The simplest way to judge this trait is to watch the animal walk. When a calf picks up a front foot, its hind foot should be very close to the track left by the front foot. If this occurs, the animal is structurally correct. If a calf steps in front of the forefoot track with its hind foot -- or well behind it -- then that animal has structural defects and will have difficulty walking as it becomes older.

    The Calf's Body

    • When evaluating the calf's body, start on the ground at the hoof level. A calf should have equal-sized hooves, straight front legs and a slight crook in the hind legs. Look for a good-sized barrel, a long strong top and a small amount of slope in the calf's hips from the hooks to the pins. The slope in the hips is more pronounced in Brahman-influenced cattle and a little less in the British and continental types. For a better appearance, the shoulders need to be smooth

    Good Characteristics of the Sex

    • A heifer's head should look feminine and a bull's head should look masculine. To evaluate a heifer's udder, look at her mother as a five, six or seven year old cow. A heifer calf will probably raise a minimum of seven or eight calves during her life. Yearling bulls should be selected with minimum scrotal circumference of 32 to 34 centimeters, dependent upon the breed.