Results and Discussion
Cow Weights
Numbers and means by age of cow for all traits are
presented in Table 2. Cows continued gaining weight
through 7 yr of age. The largest yearly gain was from
2 to 3 yr of age, accounting for 30% of the total gain.
By 4 yr of age, cows had accumulated most (89%) of
their final weight. Unadjusted means for height did not
change much across ages, which indicates that height
reaches maturity earlier than weight. In fact, cows had
attained 96% of their final height as 3-yr-olds. Unadjusted
means for condition score did not change much
across ages, which is expected for a trait that reflects
fatness, as fatness changes more within ages (due to
differences in physiological status) than across ages.