@article {3672,
	title = {Effect of breed on bone morphology in the distal metacarpus epiphysis of mature Angus and Angus crossbred cows},
	journal = {New Zealand Journal of Animal Science and Production},
	volume = {82},
	year = {2022},
	month = {01/2022},
	pages = {82-87},
	address = {Online},
	abstract = {There are variations in stature between beef and dairy breeds (and their crosses) which are an indirect result of genetic selection and farm management for different production objectives. The aim of this experiment was to examine the effect of breed on bone morphology in the distal epiphysis of the metacarpus. The metacarpus was collected from 9.5-year-old Angus (AA), Angus-Friesian crossbred (AF), Angus-Jersey crossbred (AJ) and Angus- (Friesian cross Jersey) crossbred (AK) cows. Bone morphology in the epiphysis was assessed using peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) for the medial and lateral condyles of the epiphysis 7 mm from the distal metacarpus. The greater total bone cross-sectional area of AA and AF could be associated with minimising strain on the articulating surface of the metacarpus due to greater joint surface area. Therefore, the greater total bone cross-sectional area may be an indirect result of a greater level of muscularity in beef breeds with a heavier mature weight.},
	issn = {1176-5283},
	author = {Gibson MJ and Hickson RE and Dittmer KE and Back PJ and Schreurs NM and Rogers CW}
}
@article {3672,
	title = {Live weight and bone growth from birth to 15 months of age in pure-bred and cross-bred Jersey and Friesian heifers},
	journal = {New Zealand Journal of Animal Science and Production},
	volume = {81},
	year = {2021},
	month = {01/2022},
	pages = {45-50},
	address = {Online},
	abstract = {
Live weight and liveweight gain of dairy heifers has been described in New Zealand and overseas, however, the change in stature and pattern of proximal and distal bone growth has, to date, received little attention. This study describes the proportional changes in stature with live weight, in a cohort of commercial dairy heifers (Holstein-Friesian, Jersey, and Holstein-Friesian-Jersey crossbred) from birth to 15 months of age. Comparisons of height, length, girth, and distal and proximal forelimb length (stature) revealed that at the same live weight, these parameters differed among breeds (P<0.05), however, the magnitude of the differences among breeds was consistently less than 1 cm. As heifer live weight increased, the contribution of the distal limb to increases in height decreased, which is consistent with knowledge that physeal closure in cattle occurs earlier in distal limb bones, such as the metacarpus, than in proximal limb bones, such as the humerus. In addition, the understanding of proximal and distal growth in cattle identifies when heifers are most susceptible to growth checks.

Keywords: bone; stature; fracture; dairy heifer},
	issn = {1176-5283},
	author = {Gibson MJ and Rogers CW and Hickson RE and Dittmer KE and Back PJ}
}
