The Angus Journal is a monthly magazine known for in-depth coverage of American Angus Association programs and services; the Angus business; herd management techniques; and advertising reflecting genetics herd philosophies.
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January 2015 � ANGUSJournal � 141 modern Angus cattle at that end of the spectrum. For claw set, the ideal to score 5 would have some space between their toes, and the toes would be basically straight and symmetrical, Moser described. Toes that tend to curl in a little would score 7 or 8, while toes that curl to the point they cross over would score a 9. Toes that spread out more would score lower on the scale, with widely open and divergent toes scoring a 1. Again, few modern Angus animals would fall on the low end of the scale. For both foot angle and claw set, animals at either end of the spectrum, scoring a 1 or a 9, would be animals you would typically cull, Moser said. Working with a similar scoring system, the Australians have found reasonable heritability of both foot angle (0.13) and claw set (0.16), meaning there is opportunity to identify differences among sires. Tips for scoring Moser offered these things to keep in mind when scoring feet: @ Score animals prior to trimming hooves. @ Where there is variation from front to rear, score the worst foot. @ Score animals at a year of age, using the same age window and contemporary grouping as for yearling weights and ultrasound. @ Submit basic ration information along with the hoof scores. @ Animals may be scored as they come out of a chute or as they mill in a pen. @ Data submission forms will be made available through AAA Login. Sale time provides a deadline by which breeders must score the bulls they raise, he noted. However, there may be multiple opportunities to score females as they age. "Some of these conditions become more severe as animals get older," Moser said. "If you have groups of 3-year-olds, 4-year-olds, 5-year-olds, and you would like to score them as a group, we would happily receive that data, as well." These age groups will be maintained in their yearling contemporary groups, to allow for differences in management from one year to the next, he explained. "So your 4-year-olds as a group would be a contemporary group, but they wouldn't necessarily be compared to your 5s." To begin data submission, after the fi rst of the year Angus breeders will be able to download a spreadsheet through AAA Login that will have registration numbers, tattoos, etc. Once they input the scores, they will be able to upload the completed spreadsheet to the database. Eventually, a form that can be submitted online will also be made available through AAA Login. "As soon as we feel there's enough data from enough members to give a reliable and useful EPD, that's something we'll implement," Moser said. The end goals, he concluded, are to describe the variation that exists in the breed and to provide a tool to members that they can use to apply selection pressure for foot conformation if they choose to do so. In the meantime, he added, "it encourages people to look at the cattle's feet a little more closely, and that may be the most powerful thing of all." Editor's Note: Moser spoke at the breed improvement workshop at the Angus Means Business National Convention & Trade Show. To listen to his presentation, access his PowerPoint or read summaries of other presentations at the convention, visit the newsroom at www.angusconvention.com. @ "Some of these conditions become more severe as animals get older," Moser said. "If you have groups of 3-year-olds, 4-year-olds, 5-year-olds, and you would like to score them as a group, we would happily receive that data, as well." Fig. 1: American Angus Association scoring system to evaluate foot angle, where a 5 is ideal 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Source: American Angus Association, 2014. Illustrated by Craig Simmons. Fig. 2: American Angus Association scoring system to evaluate claw set, where a 5 is ideal 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Source: American Angus Association, 2014. Illustrated by Craig Simmons.