The quest of each animal breeder is to reach the set breeding goals as efficiently as possible. Breeding goals are usually formulated based on those traits and properties that will ensure long term profitability. Traits can usually be classified formally or loosely into one or more of the following groups: Fitness traits (reproduction, survival, resistance to adversity), Growth (weights or gains to certain age intervals, efficiency of growth rate, expressed as gain per intake or gain per maintenance), Maternal ability (maternal breeding values for birth and weaning weights, weaning weight relative to cow maintenance), Type (maturity type expressed in different ways, several body measurements and linear scores), Functionality (physical description or score, prevalence of absence of specific properties) or other desirabilities (like coat colour, pigmentation).
