Abstract #411

# 411
A high percentage of beef bull pictures in semen catalogs have obscured feet and legs.
March K. Franks1, Temple Grandin*1, 1Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.

To assist semen buyers in evaluating conformation, bull photos should have fully visible feet and legs. A total of 1,379 beef bull pictures were surveyed to determine visibility of feet and legs from 4 American semen company websites. Five different breeds were represented: Angus, Red Angus, Hereford (polled and horned), Simmental, and Charolais. In addition to visibility, other variables were surveyed to establish frequencies and correlations. These included breed, color, material that obscured visibility such as grass, picture taken at livestock show or outside, semen company, photographer, video, age of bull, and semen price. A visibility score was given to each bull picture. The results showed that 19.4% of the pictures scored a visibility score of one, where the bull’s feet and legs were fully visible. In the rest of the pictures, the bull’s feet and legs were hidden to some degree, 42.9% hid the hooves (visibility score 2), 32.5% hid both the hooves and the dewclaws (visibility score 3), 1.5% covered the entire legs up to the brisket (visibility score 4); and 3.8% hid 2 feet or legs while the other 2 were fully visible (visibility score 5). Correlation (Spearman’s test) between the bull’s age and the first 4 visibility scores was statistically significant P < 0.001. As age increased the feet and legs were more likely to be visible in the bull’s picture. Semen price and visibility score correlation was also statistically significant P = 0.0143. Higher semen cost was associated with higher percentage of pictures with hidden feet and lower legs. The results show that many bull semen catalog pictures need to have greater leg and foot visibility.

Key Words: bull, cattle, hoof