Abstract
AbstractThe definition of breeding objectives for farmed red deer in the United Kingdom (UK) was investigated. Options studied include the effects of discounting gene flow and the effect of altering variable costs/income (such as price of food or price received for sale animals). Three different herd structures were investigated. As the discount rate increased the importance of traits measured on the offspring also increased. Traits included in the economic breeding objective included number of calves weaned, carcass weights of stag calves and surplus hinds, hind calf live weight and food consumption for hinds and calves. The breeding objective derived does not include a measure of antler size, as antlers have little/no economic value in the UK market. Suggestions are made for further research.
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