What do the aAa figures mean?
Where available, we have included the “Triple A” figures or “aAa” as they are listed under the Name and Herd Book numbers of the sires. The aAa system of evaluating cows and bulls was devised by a former American herd book classifier, Bill Weeks, more than 50 years ago, and has been very successfully used in North America and increasingly in European countries.
He noticed that the sharp bull sired his best offspring when mated with cows that were more round, and the sharp cow produced her best offspring when mated with a rounder bull. With this knowledge Weeks created the sharp/round Analysis where he pointed out whether a cow needed, or a bull could add, sharp or round in the front-end, udder and rear-end. It is another tool to be used in the development of your herd by selective mating of individuals or groups of cows with similar traits. Some dairymen have their cows “scored” by an “aAa” analyst, or others prefer to assess their own animals.
The aAa numbers are listed in the order in which the bull can best improve a particular trait. The first number is the most reliable one, in other words, the trait which the bull will likely have the most influence on the mating, the second number is his next most reliable trait, and so on. Cows are “scored” in the opposite way to the bull as the numbers are listed in the order in which she needs improvement most.
The six qualities are all equally important and are related to all important functions and performances of a dairy cow. They are simply defined as follows:
| #1 DAIRY | Ample will to milk. Fast milk let down. More milk for size |
|---|---|
| #2 TALL | Faster growth. High udder for easy care and modern milking |
| #3 OPEN | Room for the udder. Added calving ease. Long breeding life |
| #4 STRONG | Larger mature size. Healthy udder, feet and legs and lungs. |
| #5 SMOOTH | More appetite. Less injury to teats and legs. Easy milking. |
| #6 STYLE | Less foot trimming. More show and sale value and pleasure |
For example, a bull whose aAa number is 216345 means this bull will sire daughters that are tall and dairy with some style. If you want to understand more about the aAa Animal Analysis, we can provide you with further information, or supply details to contact an analyst.