21/10/2026
🐂 Myostatin is often discussed when selecting stock bulls, but what do the different variants actually mean for your herd?
The gene plays an important role in muscle development, with certain variants linked to improved carcase conformation, higher killing-out percentages and better sale prices.
However, not all variants have the same effect.
▪️ F94L is associated with increased muscling, generally without the same impact on calving ease and maternal traits as some other variants.
▪️ NT821 and Q204X can have a more pronounced effect on muscle development, but can also be associated with increased calving difficulty and poorer maternal traits.
Interestingly, research into AI sires found some bulls carrying no myostatin variants had worse calving difficulty figures than individual bulls carrying one or two copies.
Dr Katie Quigley, geneticist with the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation, explains why understanding the genetics of both the bull and the female herd is important, and how myostatin status should be considered alongside EBVs when making breeding decisions.
🔗 Read the full guide: https://ow.ly/kMCH50ZZlvu
