The Claws of Heifers and Bulls within the First Two Years of their Lives – a Contribution to the Development of the Horn Capsula Considering Different Breeding Lines and Genders

Up to now, the development of the bovine claw is an area of investigation where little is known, despite it being the seat of numerous problems when having reached the state of ma-turity. Claw measurements as auxiliary traits for selection and for structural claw soundness are common tools described by several authors. Three years ago, we started this investigation using linear measurement to describe the devel-opment of the horn capsula in new born calves of different genders and breeding lines. The first bulls and heifers have reached their second year of life and were slaughtered or started the first lactation. This investigation compares the data of the first three months to the data measured after two years of life ...