Table 1.
Temperament description and frequency of records for yearling temperament (YT) and cow temperament measured at weaning (CT) scores after the phenotypic quality control
| Score | Description | YT | CT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | “Docile- gentle and easily handled; stands and moves slowly during processing; exits chute calmly” | 188,805 (70.12%) | 82,739 (53.76%) |
| 2 | “Restless- quieter but may be stubborn during processing; may try to back out of chute; some flicking of tail; exits chute promptly” | 63,189 (23.47%) | 56,394 (36.64%) |
| 3 | “Nervous- typical temperament is manageable, but nervous and impatient; displays a moderate amount of struggling, movement, and tail flicking; repeated pushing; exits chute briskly” | 14,985 (5.57%) | 12,925 (8.40%) |
| 4 | “Flighty (wild)- jumpy and out of control, quivers, and struggles violently; may bellow and froth at the mouth; displays continuous tail flicking; defecates and urinates during processing; may jump when penned individually; exhibits long flight distance and exits chute wildly” | 1928 (0.72%) | 1325 (0.86%) |
| 5 | “Aggressive- like score 4, but added aggressive behavior, fearfulness, extreme agitation, and continuous movement, which may include jumping and bellowing while in the chute; exits chute frantically and may exhibit attack behavior when handled alone” | 256 (0.10%) | 452 (0.29%) |
| 6 | “Very aggressive- thrashes about or attacks wildly when confined in small, tight places; pronounced attack behavior” | 85 (0.03%) | 63 (0.04%) |
This table represents the description and scoring guidelines reported in the Angus Journal Report (October 2007; [27]) and Beef Improvement Federation [28]
YT: yearling temperament, number of animals per score category; CT: cow at weaning temperament, number of records per score category
The percentage of animals/records with that scoring is given between parentheses