Reliability and concordance of Schaeffer and Agarwal formulae for predicting crossbred dairy cattle weight

The study was aimed to evaluate the reliability and concordance of the Schaeffer and Agarwal formulae for predicting body weight in Gyr (Holstein×Cebu) crossbred cows and heifers. Body weight (BW), heart girth (HG) and body length (BL) were recorded in 156 cows and 98 heifers. There was a strong positive correlation (p < 0.0001) between BW observed and BW predicted using the Schaeffer and Agarwal formulae (r ≥ 0.96 ≤ 0.97). Although reliability and agreement were low, as indicated by the CCC values, they were higher for the Agarwal formula. The results suggest that BW predictions using the Agarwal formula are preferable to those using the Schaeffer formula. The results suggest that Agarwal's formula may be useful for estimating BW in crossbred cattle kept under humid tropical conditions in southeastern Mexico.