Estimates of the energy required for maintenance by adult sheep 1. Housed sheep

1963 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Langlands ◽  
J. L. Corbett ◽  
I. McDonald ◽  
J. D. Pullar

SUMMARYEight adult ewes were fasted for 114 hr. During the last 48 hr. the heat emission of each sheep was measured by direct calorimetry and was found to be 35·2 kcal./kg.0·87/24 hr., that is, 973 kcal./24 hr. for a sheep of 45·4 kg. (100 lb.) live-weight. From this value it is estimated that the 100 lb. sheep would require daily 0·79 lb. digestible organic matter (DOM) from pasture herbage for maintenance.In a second experiment, 49 adult sheep were kept indoors and fed on fresh herbage for a period of 72 days. Measurements were made of the mean daily DOM intake (D), mean live-weight (W) and mean daily weight gain (G) of each sheep. The regression of D on Wk and G, and the underlying or functional relationship between D, Wk and G were both estimated for k = 0·73 and k = 1·0. From the underlying relationships, the preferred equations, the maintenance requirement of a 100 lb. sheep was estimated to be 0·82 lb. DOM daily. This value and those calculated for other live-weights are approximately two-thirds of the corresponding values given in ‘Rations for Livestock’ (Evans, 1960).

1963 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Langlands ◽  
J. L. Corbett ◽  
I. McDonald ◽  
G. W. Reid

SUMMARYThe mean daily digestible organic matter intake (D) of each of 47 adult sheep during a grazing period of mean length 48 days was estimated by the chromium sesquioxide/faecal nitrogen technique. Mean live-weights (W) and mean daily weight gains (G) were also measured.The regression of D on W and G, and the underlying or functional relationship between D, W and G were both estimated. From the underlying relationship, the preferred equation, the maintenance requirement of a 100 lb. sheep at pasture is estimated to be 1·02 lb. digestible organic matter daily. This value is 24% higher than the corresponding value for housed sheep obtained previously by us.This result is compared with other estimates of the energy cost of grazing and it is concluded that further work is needed in order to define those circumstances which elevate the maintenance requirements of grazing animals.


1962 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. E. Coop

Four experiments have been conducted with sheep, housed and fed in pens, to determine the maintenance and live-weight gain requirements of sheep under such conditions.1. Fifteen Corriedale sheep of initial live weight 115 lb. were fed at maintenance for 13 weeks. Daily DOM (digestible organic matter) requirement for maintenance was 0·92 ± 0·07 lb.2. Twelve Romney ewes of mean live weight 106 lb. over the period were fed for 5 months, six on submaintenance and six on super-maintenance levels. Daily DOM requirement for maintenance was 0·99 ± 0·05 lb., and requirement for gain 2·29 ± 0·20 lb. DOM per lb. gain or loss.3. Thirteen Romney ewes of mean live weight 110 lb. over the period were fed at sub- and supermaintenance levels for 8 weeks yielding the result: daily DOM intake for maintenance 1·04 ± 0·13 lb. and for gain 2·25 ± 0·24 lb. DOM per lb. gain.4. Twenty-four Romney ewes of initial live weight 107 lb. were randomized into five groups and fed fresh grass, dried grass, sheep pellets, lucerne hay and rye-grass straw for 11 weeks at slightly below maintenance. There were no significant differences between groups and the mean estimate of maintenance was 1·00 ± 0·11 lb. DOM per day.Converting these estimates to those of a 100 lb. sheep using the ¾ power of live weight, and then taking the mean gives the final estimate for maintenance of a 100 lb. sheep 0·92 lb. DOM, 0·96 TDN or 0·89 lb. SE.


Author(s):  
Gustav Chládek ◽  
Daniel Falta

The aim of this work was to quantify basic feedlot performance and carcass value characteristics of Holstein bulls slaughtered as “young cattle” at 300 kg of live weight. The observation was carried out in a group of 12 Holstein bulls fattened in identical conditions and fed on a diet consisting of ad libitum amount of crushed grain (barley and wheat) and a limited amount of protein concentrate.The mean overall values were as follows: age and live weight at slaughter 275.9 days and 299.3 kg, daily weight gain and net weight gain since birth 0.962 kg and 0.527 kg, dressing percentage 48.3%, weight of cold right carcass half 71.0 kg, weight of bones 17.5 kg, weight of muscle 53.0 kg and separable fat 0.54 kg. The mean weight of hide was 21.6 kg. The great majority of calves were classified as O2, one calf graded R2. The forequarter to hindquarter ratio was 1.4 with mean weights 29.1 kg and 41.9 kg. The mean weight of neck was 3.9 kg, chuck 3.6 kg, shoulder 5.9 kg, fore shank 3.4 kg, loin 4.1 kg, filet 1.5 kg, round 18.2 kg and hind shank 1.3 kg. We found highly significant (P<0.01) coefficients of correlation between carcass weight and live weight at slaughter (r=0.963) or daily weight gain (r=0.723). Net weight gain since birth was highly significantly (P<0.01) correlated to live weight at slaughter (r=0.723) or to daily weight gain (r=0.982) and significantly correlated (P<0.05) to age at slaughter (r= –0.665).Despite the average or worse-than-average feedlot performance parameters our experimental Holstein bulls had an adequate proportion of muscle (comparable with other literature sources), a high ratio of bones and a very low proportion of fat. Thanks to small meat trim, weights of the main dissection parts of fore-and hindquarters were comparable to those usually found in young Holstein bulls.


2008 ◽  
Vol 53 (No. 9) ◽  
pp. 368-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Štercová ◽  
A. Krása ◽  
R. Lepková ◽  
J. Šterc

The aim of the study was to evaluate the growth rate and selected carcass and meat quality parameters in bulls fed a high-grain diet and to compare the results with those obtained in bulls fed a diet based on preserved roughage. The trial included 18 Czech-Pied bulls fed a diet with a high proportion of concentrated feed and 18 Czech-Pied bulls fed a diet based on maize silage, used as a control group. The trial was launched after the weaning of calves. During the fattening period, live weight and average daily weight gain were monitored. The bulls were slaughtered at the live weight of 550–600 kg, the mean age at slaughter was 473 days for the high-grain diet group and 474 days for the control group. The carcasses were classified to SEUROP quality grades, and carcass gain and dressing percentage were calculated. Samples of <I>m. longissimus pars thoracis</I> were taken from five bulls in each group to examine selected meat quality parameters. In the period from weaning to slaughter the high-grain diet bulls and the control bulls achieved the average daily weight gain of 1.29 kg and 1.21 kg, respectively. Differences between the groups were not significant. The high-grain diet group showed higher average carcass weight and higher carcass weight gain, differences between the groups were not significant, either. As to meat quality parameters under study, a significant difference was found only in meat lightness (L*), with the mean value in the high-grain diet group being significantly (<I>P</I> ≤ 0.01) lower than in the control group. The other meat quality parameters did not show any significant differences between the groups. In this study, the high-grain diet gave similar performance as the maize silage-based diet in fattening bulls. The high-grain diet group and control group showed comparable average daily weight gain and selected carcass and meat quality parameters.


1975 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Marsh

SUMMARYFour experiments were carried out with calves offered pellets containing different ratios of cereal/protein concentrate and dried grass together with 10% chopped hay. Organic matter digestibility of total ration declined by 5·2 percentage units for each 25% increment of dried grass.Dry matter (DM) intake of the total ration increased as dried grass content increased from 0 to 50% which led to similar intakes of digestible organic matter (DOM) and daily gain. When pellets contained 75% dried grass, total DM intakes were reduced in two experiments, leading to DOM intakes and daily gains similar to that of calves offered pellets of dried grass only. In the third experiment, DM intake of pellets containing 75 % dried grass was greater than the intake of pellets containing 50 to 100 % dried grass. When equal quantities of DM were offered, DOM intakes and daily gains tended to decline linearly as dried grass content in the pellet increased. The replacement value of the dried grass for concentrate at equal levels of live-weight gain was 1·36: 1.


1965 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. G. W. Jones ◽  
R. M. Drake-Brockman ◽  
W. Holmes

SUMMARY1. The feed intakes of 18 Ayrshire cows continuously grazing a timothy-meadow fescue-white clover sward were estimated by the chromic oxide-faecal nitrogen method for two 6-weekly periods, one in 1960 and one in 1961. The cows consisted of (1) 6 lactating cows, 6–7 months post partum (Low yield), (2) 6 lactating cows, 2 months post partum (High yield) and (3) 6 dry cows; their live-weights, milk yields and milk composition were recorded.2. The mean organic matter digestibility of the herbage consumed in the two experiments was 78·2 and 76·2%. The mean digestible organic matter intakes (DOMI) were 23·3, 24·7 and 17·6 Ib./day for low yield, high yield and dry cows respectively.3. The mean daily fat-corrected milk (FCM) yields of the low and high yield cows were 29·1 and 34·3 lb. in the first experiment, and 26·8 and 42·8 lb. in the second. The mean live-weights of the lactating groups were 1036 lb. and 1106 lb. in the two experiments and did not differ between yield levels.4. DOMI was partitioned between maintenance, live-weight gain and FCM yield by regression analysis. Significant partial regression coefficients of DOMI on FCM varying between 0·221 and 0·272 were obtained. It was concluded that milk production accounted for about 0·24 lb. DOMI per lb. FCM.5. The results are discussed with particular regard to other estimates of the effect of milk production on the DOMI of the grazing cow and to the estimation of the maintenance requirement for DOM by the grazing animal.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 146-152
Author(s):  
E. O Ewuola ◽  
F. A Gbore ◽  
J. T Ogunlade ◽  
G. N Egbunike

In a six-week feeding trial, a total of 48 crossbred weaned male rabbits of 7 weeks old were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments, with 12 replicates per treatment to determine growth indices and nutrient digestibility of rabbits fed fumonisin-contaminated diets. Maize grains contaminated with fumonisin B1 were incorporated into rabbit diets excluding the control diet (treatment 1, 0.13mgKg-1), at varied inclusion levels of 5.0mgKg-1, 7.5mgKg-1 and 10.0mgKg-1 fumonisin B1, constituting treatments 2, 3 and 4 respectively. The results showed that the average final live weight of rabbits fed treatments 3 and 4 were significantly (P<0.05) lower than those fed treatment 2 and the control. The average daily dry matter intake of the animals fed the dietary treatments was not significantly different. The mean daily weight gain of rabbits fed 5.0mgkg-1, 7.5mgKg-1 and 10.0mgKg-1 however declined significantly (P<0.05) by 91.23, 83.92 and 81.88% respectively, relative to the mean daily weight gain of 12.31g/rabbit/day of animals fed the control diet. The result further showed that digestibility of the nutrients of the experimental diets except crude protein, were similar among the treatments. The crude protein digestibility of rabbits fed 7.5mgKg-1and 10.0mgKg-1 were identical but significantly (P<0.05) lower than those fed 5.0mgKg-1 and the control diet. This suggests inhibition of nitrogen utilization and depressed performance in the animals fed diets containing ≥ 5.0mg fumonisin B1/Kg. Diets containing up to 7.5 mg fumonisin B1/Kg will depress live weight and daily weight gain as a result of reduced protein utilization in weaned rabbits.  


1974 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Marsh

SUMMARYIn two experiments dried grass cobs or concentrate were offered to calves for 20 weeks after weaning. In Experiment 1 the grasses were harvested in the autumn and in Experiment 2 in the spring. Within each experiment three grasses differing in quality and two levels of concentrate were compared.Dry-matter intake of the dried grasses highest in digestibility was lower than that of medium digestibility grass, and hardness of package, palatability and mould infestation were implicated as possible causal factors.Live-weight gains by calves were closely correlated with digestible organic matter (DOM) intake. There was no significant difference between spring harvested grasses and concentrate in efficiency of utilization of DOM for live-weight gain but autumn grasses were used less efficiently than concentrate. At similar rates of gain the replacement value (dry-matter basis) of dried grass for concentrate averaged 142: 1.


1981 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Milne ◽  
T. J. Maxwell ◽  
W. Souter

ABSTRACT1. Two experiments were conducted to examine the effects of a cereal-based supplement and herbage mass on the intake and performance by Border Leicester × Scottish Blackface ewes nursing twin lambs in early lactation.2. In one experiment 16 ewes, individually penned, were given one of four amounts of supplement (0, 320, 640 and 960 g organic matter per ewe per day) and offered ad libitum freshly-cut perennial ryegrass herbage (organic-matter digestibility 82%). Intake of herbage and total organic matter digestibility declined linearly with increasing intake of supplement (0·84 g organic matter of herbage per g organic matter of supplement and 0·50 percentage units per 100 g organic matter of supplement respectively).3. In the second experiment three amounts of supplement (0, 480 and 960 g organic matter per ewe per day) were offered individually to groups of seven ewes grazing a perennial ryegrass sward of high digestibility, maintained at herbage masses of either 500 or 750 kg organic matter per ha. A further group of seven unsupplemented ewes were grazed on the same sward maintained at 1500 kg organic matter per ha. Intakes of herbage and digestible organic matter by ewes, and lamb live-weight gain, were all significantly greater and ewe live-weight loss significantly less at herbage masses of 750 and 1500 tha n at 500 kg organic matter per ha (P <0·05). The mean decline in herbage intake was 0·93g organic matter per g organic matter supplement consumed. Amount of supplement had no significant effect on lamb live-weight gain at either weight of herbage nor on ewe live-weight loss at the 750 kg organic matter per ha herbage mass. At 500 kg organic matter per ha herbage mass, intake of digestible organic matter was significantly greater and ewe live-weight loss was significantly less for 960 than for 0 and 480 g organic matter per day amounts of supplement (P <0·05).


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 1653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lais Belan ◽  
Fabíola Cristine de Almeida Rego ◽  
Filipe Alexandre Boscaro de Castro ◽  
Camila Cano Serafim ◽  
Marta Juliane Gasparini ◽  
...  

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of replacing oat hay with coffee husk for the feeding of confined lambs. In this study, 24 male Texel lambs of approximately 60 days of age and with a mean ± standard error weight of 21.95 ± 5.81 kg were examined. Their diet was composed of 30% oat hay and 70% concentrated feed per kilogram of dry matter. The experimental design was randomized and included four treatments (0, 7.5, 15, and 22.5% of coffee husk in the total dry matter), with six replicates of each treatment. The animals were slaughtered when they reached a mean live weight of 32 kg. There was no significant difference in dry matter intake and mean daily weight gain (which were 197 g day-1) among treatments. The mean daily weight gain (DWG) was not significantly affected (P > 0.05) by the replacement of oat hay with coffee husk in the diet, with the overall mean DWG being 215.05 g day-1. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) among treatments in any of the studied carcass variables, and the mean true carcass yield was 53.9%. The lambs presented a mean finishing score of 2.96 (on a scale of 1 to 5) and a conformation of 4.21 (on a scale of 1 to 6), characterizing them as good carcasses. In terms of economic viability, the 7.5% diet stood out as the one that had the highest profitability, generating a profit of $ 3.25 USD per kg of carcass produced. Coffee husk can therefore replace oat hay in the feed of finishing lambs in concentrations of 0.075 to 0.225 kg kg-¹ of total dry matter with biological and economical efficacy and generating good commercial carcasses.


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