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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

From: Unraveling the phenotypic and genomic background of behavioral plasticity and temperament in North American Angus cattle

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%)

  1. This table represents the description and scoring guidelines reported in the Angus Journal Report (October 2007; [27]) and Beef Improvement Federation [28]
  2. YT: yearling temperament, number of animals per score category; CT: cow at weaning temperament, number of records per score category
  3. The percentage of animals/records with that scoring is given between parentheses