Such maternal effects are of interest to producers when selecting replacement heifers. Mean The average value for a trait. The simultaneous selection for more than one trait. An example would be the consideration of both birth weight and average daily gain when selecting a herd sire. A graph of the number of animals displaying each possible performance level for a trait.
Most animals are near the mean, while a few are very good or very poor.
Outcrossing The mating of individuals within a breed that are less related than average. Pedigree An animal's ancestry, usually shown as a family tree. Performance The observed values of reproduction, production, and carcass traits for an animal. Phenotype The observed or measured value for an individual for a trait. The sons and daughters of an individual.