A study of the effects of age and horn status on th eperformance in phase d tests at Neudamm

Abstract

Abstract by author:

Beef production is an important area of Namibia's agricultural sector. Commercial producers are the main players in this industry. This study investigated whether or not animal performance evaluation at Neudamm was compromised by environmental factors i. e age of animals entering the Phase D performance test as well as the horn status of these animals. On the basis of age, the animals were divided into two groups; those born before December and those born in or after December. For horn status, the animals were grouped depending on whether or not they had horns. The study found that there was no significant difference (P0. 05) between the performance of the animals grouped on the basis of age. However, there was a significant difference (P0. 01) between the performance of horned and dehorned animals, with the dehorned animals being favoured