1 - How it runs

In November 1981, the Salers Herd Book opened a Test Station for young bulls destined for natural service and AI at Sansac-Veinazes in the Cantal. The current aim is to take in around 90 young bulls to performance test and compare them between weaning (in the Autumn) and putting out to grass (in Spring).
This comparison of animals from different lines, from diver herds assembled in the identical conditions allows an comparative evaluation and a real differentiation.

The Test Station associates the breeders of the bulls as much as possible. Thus, they cover the “residence costs” of the animals and remain owners until their exit.

At the end of the Test period, a selection is made taking into account the Test Station performance, the body measurements and the conformation.

A detailed catalogue with the performances of the bulls and a description of their morphology in the Station is compiled. Using this, breeders can choose and buy with the maximum information a bull corresponding to their herds needs. Aged around 15 months, these bulls are ready to work. The Station allows breeders to demonstrate the qualities of their animals and to get the best price possible.

1. The choice of animals

The final selection is made by the Herd Book technicians and / or Bovins Croissance and /or UALC from the animals proposed by the breeders. The bulls are selected between the 15 December of the previous year and the 15 March of the following year. If there are problems, then a commission of breeders intervenes.

 The animals must fulfil the following conditions :
 

w Health conditions

For entry into the Test Station, the following health conditions must be met :

on the calf :
Brucellosis, leucosis, IBR-IPV and BVD. In addition, the calf must not be carrier of genetic defects such as Betamannosidosis or a carrier of the culard gene (mh)

on the mother :
Johnes Desease (Paratuberculosis).

on the herd :
the herd must be IBR A or B qualified

- sire "confirmed" (milk or suckler)

- dam“confirmed” as a suckler with a known origin and qualified as a MEV (Elite mother beef)

- sir registered in the milk section

- dam “confirmed” in the milk section of known origin and qualified MEL (Elite mother milk) and more if possible

In both cases, the bulls are selected particularly  taking into account their muscular and skeletal development, their legs and feet, their top-line and their breed qualities. More than 150 farms are visited by the selectors over all of France to achieve a final group of 60-90 bull calves per year from around 250 bulls calves proposed and fulfilling the criteria outlined above.

 2. The management of animals at the station 

A pen is allocated. There are 3 feeding periods

1) Adaptation period (bringing to the same level) over 8 weeks 

To bring the bulls to approximately the same starting point and to iron out the differences arising from different conditions before weaning, a first period sees a progressive increase to a concentrate based feed regime.

The concentrate is a formulation  designed for weanlings to promote skeletal rather than muscular development to avoid the animals becoming overfat. The restricted access over this period is to iron out the non-genetic differences ie ruling out compensatory growth.

2) Test period or “High feed” for 12 weeks

This period is designed to measure the growth of the bulls at higher concentrate levels. In practice limited to no more than 4kg per day and  hay ad lib. The DLWG must not be inferior to 1300 grams. This regime shows up differences of growth potential between animals. Note the objective is to favourise selection on intake capacity : any differences are due to the ability  of a bull to take in a sufficient quantity of coarse forage, in this case, hay. This is a different concept to some TestStations in other countries where concentrates are fed ad lib.

3. The check carried oil

>Growth rate measurement
Starting from their arrival in the Station, the bulls are weighed every 28 days. In addition, a double weighing is carried out at the beginning and end of the intensive feed period.
Thus the following figures are known for each animal :

• weight at weaning
• weight at the exit from the Station
• calculation of the PAT (the estimated weight) at 400 days corresponding to around 13 months to compare directly the animals DLWG for each of the period (the most interesting is the intensive feed period).

>Skeletal development
The animals are measured when they reach 13 months (height at withers, chest circumference, depth and thickness of chest, thickness at shoulder, pelvic length, hip width trocanter width, pin bone width.
This allows the assessment of the different aspects of the animal (morphology).

>Pelvic measurement
Since the easy calving / large pelvis is such an important feature of Salers, great attention is paid to this and internal pelvic dimensions are assessed.
Measurement of the pelvic height, ie sacrum to the pelvic floor and width ie between the ilial shafts are made. This allows inadequate animals to be detected this is an important criteria for AI animals.

>Scoring
Scoring of the bulls is carried out jointly by the Herd Book Technicians and a Technician of the Livestock Institute following the scoring system developed in page http://www.salers.org/rub4/selection_race.php (page s’ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)
These figures allow the calculation of an overall index.

>The fate of the calves
The elimination of inferior animals is carried out by a commission of breeders. Following their rank at the end of the test period, the bulls are given  a breed classification : AI authorised bulls, recognised or confirmed. The ensemble of these criteria (indexation and breed classment) are a guarantee of genetic quality. Of course, the bulls chosen for AI  from their high indices and breed qualities are from the best of an elite group.
Around 40-50 bulls are proposed to the sale by envelope in April which is an international affair.

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3) Périod of preparation for the sale over 3 weeks

To prepare the animals for field conditions they encounter when leaving the Station, the concentrate in the feed is gradualy reduced to leave hay predominant. This prepares the animals for the turn out to grass and to serve cows.

2 - The current Serie

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