Slaughter Cattle Evaluation: Muscle, Finish, and Correctness, Slides of Biology

Download Slaughter Cattle Evaluation: Muscle, Finish, and Correctness and more Slides Biology in PDF only on Docsity!

Livestock Evaluation

Terms for understanding

• Muscle - red meat for human consumption
• Finish (quality) – amount of fat covering the carcass of a market animal _ANIMALS ALL_* _FINISH FROM FRONT TO BACK_*
• Correctness – applies to the structural ability of an animal to carry muscle

• All market animals evaluated on

theses three traits

Quality Grades of Slaughter

Cattle

• Prime
• Choice
• Select
• Standard

• These grades are in order from

highest quality to lowest quality

Quality Grades of Slaughter

Cattle

• Prime

• Choice

Slaughter Cattle Quality Grades

• The more marbling in the red meat, the higher the quality grade
• The amount of marbling is in direct relation to the amount of fat covering the Steer, The fatter the animal the more marbling it has, usually!
• Prime Choice Select Standard

Slaughter Cattle Quality Grades

• The ideal grade for slaughter cattle is;

• Prime Choice Select Standard

• How does one evaluate muscle, finish

(quality), & correctness?

• Visual observation from three views
  • Front
  • Side
  • Rear

• So, you evaluate finish, muscle, &

correctness at each of the three views

• Front
• Side
• Rear

Front View - Muscle

• Width in the chest floor
• Substance of bone
• Muscle in forearm

Front View - Correctness

• Width in the chest floor
• Standing straight and solid on front legs
• Do the feet toe out or toe in?

Side View - Muscle

• Amount muscle in the forearm
• Length of muscle in the rear end

Side View - Correctness

• Straightness of the lines; back, hips, & underline
• Do want legs to far under the steer
• Or to be too “post” legged

Rear View - Muscle

• Width through the center portion of the rear (stifle)
• Length of muscle- especially in the lower quarter
• Width of top

Rear View - Correctness

• Does the animal stand on feet correctly?
• Or does he severely toe in or toe out