Beef production from formic acid-treated and wilted silages

1976 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Hinks ◽  
I. E. Edwards ◽  
A. R. Henderson

SUMMARY1. Herbage was ensiled, fresh at 17% DM or wilted to 32% DM, with and without the addition of formic acid (19·2 kg/tonne DM). The silages were fed individually ad libitum to 36 fifteen-month-old British Friesian steers of about 280 kg initial live weight (nine animals per treatment).2. Wilting and the application of formic acid both inhibited fermentation, resulting in silages with higher levels of water-soluble carbohydrates, lower concentrations of volatile nitrogen and lower organic acid contents.3. There were no significant dry matter × formic acid interactions in dry-matter intake or daily live-weight gain.4. Treatment with formic acid did not enhance significantly either dry-matter intake or daily live-weight gain. Furthermore, it had little effect on digestibility, nitrogen retention or metabolizable energy (ME) concentration.5. Wilting before ensiling increased dry-matter intake from 5·0 to 8·3 kg/head per day with consequent marked increases in ME intake, nitrogen retention and live-weight gain. Wilting, however, had little effect on digestibility, ME concentration, or the efficiency with which dietary nitrogen intake was retained.

1977 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Hinks ◽  
A. R. Henderson

SUMMARY1. Wilted (32% dry matter) Italian ryegrass was conserved: (A) untreated; (B) with 16·3 g/kg dry matter (4·6 1/t of fresh material) of an 85% w/w formic acid additive; (C) 12·1 g/kg dry matter (2·3 1/t fresh material) each of 85% formic acid additive and formalin (40% w/v formaldehyde); (D) 5·8 g/kg dry matter (1·3 1/t fresh material) each of 85% formic acid additive, formalin and a 96% w/v solution of propionic acid. The silages were individually fed ad libitum to 40 15-mo-old British Friesian steers of about 350 kg initial live weight.2. Treatment with additives inhibited fermentation, resulting in silages with higher levels of water soluble carbohydrates and lower levels of organic acids than untreated material. Lower levels of ammonia N and higher levels of true protein indicated that some protein protection resulted from the formaldehyde treatment.3. Formic acid alone (B) had little effect on digestibility but significantly (P<0·05) enhanced dry-matter intake, live-weight gain and nitrogen retention relative to the control (A)4. Whereas the application of formaldehyde (Treatments C and D reduced the digestability in vivo of nitrogen, significant increases in nitrogen retention were recorde relative to the control (A). Dry matter intake was not affected significantly by treatment with formaldehyde, but at the higher level of application (Treatment C) daily gain was significantly reduced compared with the control (A). These effects are discussed in relation to possible changes in VFA patterns within the rumen and to the levels of formaldehyde used.


1983 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 371-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. G. Kaiser ◽  
D. F. Osbourn ◽  
P. England

ABSTRACTPrimary growths of perennial ryegrass and red clover were ensiled with formic acid (2 1/t fresh crop), o an equal quantity of formic acid together with formaldehyde (46 or 49 g/kg crude protein in the ryegrass or red clover respectively). The four silages were offered ad libitum to 12 groups, each of five British Friesian steer calves, either alone or with urea or maize starch supplements at 18·4 or 185·2 g/kg total dry-matter intake respectively.Digestible organic matter and digestible energy intake, live-weight gain, carcass weight, nitrogen retention and all digestibility measurements were higher on the ryegrass silages than on the red clover silages. However, dry-matter intake was higher on the red clover silages.Formaldehyde treatment reduced lactic and total acid content, and protein degradation in the silages. It also increased intake, live-weight gain and nitrogen retention on ryegrass but not on red clover, the effect being greater when the urea supplement was given. Digestibility measurements were depressed by formaldehyde treatment, although cellulose digestibility was only depressed in the ryegrass silage.Supplementation with starch depressed silage intake and nitrogen and cellulose digestibility, but increased dry matter, organic matter and energy digestibilities, digestible organic matter and digestible energy intakes, live-weight gain and carcass weight. The positive intake, live-weight gain and carcass weight responses were greater on the silages treated with formic acid, while the digestibility and the live-weight gain responses were greater on the red clover silages. Starch supplementation did not improve nitrogen retention.The different animal production responses to formaldehyde treatment on the ryegrass and red clover silages are discussed.


1980 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 243-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Aston ◽  
J. C. Tayler

ABSTRACT1. Experiment 1. Six treatment groups of one British Friesian and four South Devon × British Friesian bulls, initially 432 kg mean live weight and aged 491 days, were offered individually maize or grass silage ad libitum plus 0, 5 or 10g barley dry matter per kg live weight daily for 80 days. The silages had similar digestible dry matter and estimated metabolizable energy contents but the grass silage contained more ammonia and acetic, propionic and butyric acids. Mean values for groups receiving respectively maize and grass silage diets were for dry-matter intake 17·7, 20·3, 20·4 and 13·0, 16·6, 18·7 g/kg live weight and for live-weight gain 1·00, 1·32, 1·46 and 0·65, 0·98, 1·22kg/day. Significantly more maize than grass silage dry matter was eaten when the silages were given alone and dry-matter intakes, live-weight and carcass gains were greater for maize silage diets. Dry-matter intake, live-weight and carcass gains, efficiency of feed use and carcass quality significantly improved when barley was given.2. Experiment 2. Six groups of five British Friesian bulls, initially 418 kg mean live weight and aged 474 days, were offered individually maize silage ad libitum with either urea or one of two quantities of aqueous ammonia mixed in at the time of feeding, plus 0 or 5 g barley dry matter per kg live weight daily for 90 days. The urea and ammonia-treated silages contained 125, 124 and 148 g crude protein per kg dry matter respectively, with pH values of 3·8, 3·9 and 4·3, and when given alone or with barley mean daily intakes (g dry matter per kg live weight) were 17·1, 18·6 for urea-treated silage diets, and 17·8, 18·8 and 16·9, 19·1 respectively for ammoniatreated silage diets. Live-weight gains were 0·69, 0·94, 0·63, 1·09, 0·64 and 1·07 kg/day. Ammonia treatment had no effect on intake or live-weight gain. Live-weight and carcass gains and carcass quality improved when barley was given.3. The maize silage offered in Experiment 1 contained similar metabolizable energy but more starch than that in Experiment 2 and was used more efficiently for live-weight gain.


1982 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. J. Steen ◽  
W. A. McIlmoyle

ABSTRACTTwo experiments have been conducted to compare wilted, formic acid-treated red clover and unwilted, formic acid-treated grass silages for beef production, and to examine the effects of digestibility of red clover and level of concentrate supplementation on food intake and animal performance.In experiment 1, 12 groups of four British Friesian steers (initial live weight 229 kg) were given red clover silages of high and low dry-matter digestibility (0·70 and 0·60 respectively) and grass silage (0·71) ad libitum for a period of 11 weeks. Silage dry-matter intake and live-weight gain for the steers given red clover of high digestibility, red clover of low digestibility and grass silages were 7·75, 0·89; 6·91, 0·69; and 5·59, 0·59 kg/day respectively.In experiment 2, 12 groups of four British Friesian steers (initial live weight 332 kg) were given red clover silage with a dry-matter digestibility of 0·63 and grass silage with a value of 0·76 ad libitum, either unsupplemented or supplemented, with 2 kg/day of fortified barley per head for a period of 19 weeks. Silage dry-matter intake, live-weight gain and carcass gain were 8·52, 0·63, 0·32 and 6·98, 0·78, 0·43 kg/day for the unsupplemented and supplemented red clover silage treatments, and 6·82, 0·59, 0·31 and 5·75, 0·75, 0·44 kg/day for the unsupplemented and supplemented grass silage treatments respectively. The performance of the cattle offered red clover silage was similar to that of cattle offered grass silage of 0·12 higher digestibility, largely as the result of higher dry matter intakes achieved on red clover silage.


1969 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. Miles ◽  
R. J. K. Walters ◽  
E. M. Evans

SUMMARYA series of animal feeding trials was designed to determine differences between grasses in dry-matter intake and animal live-weight gain, with a view to indicating better selection criteria for improving the feeding value of herbage.Wide differences were demonstrated in feed intake and live-weight gain between single-variety grass feeds at similar levels of digestibility.S.37 cocksfoot gave consistently good and S.51 timothy, consistently poor responses.Supplementation of grass feeds with red clover frequently resulted in marked improvement in feed intake and animal performance.


1999 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 141-146
Author(s):  
P. Dillon ◽  
F. Buckley ◽  
S. Snijders ◽  
S. Crosse

AbstractThe objective of this study was to investigate the effect of both cow genetic index (CGI) and feeding system on the performance of second lactation Holstein-Friesian dairy cows on grass-based feeding systems. There was no interaction between CGI and feeding system for any of the parameters measured. Cows of high genetic index (HGI) produced significantly higher yields of milk (P < 0.001), fat (P < 0.001) protein (P < 0.0001) and lactose (P < 0.001) than medium genetic index cows (MGI). CGI had no effect on the concentration of milk constituents. Averaged across four intake measurements the HGI cows had significantly (P < 0.001) higher grass dry-matter intake (GDMI) and total dry-matter intake (TDMI). Live weight was similar for both genotypes during lactation. The HGI cows had significantly (P < 0.05) higher live-weight loss in the first 10 weeks of lactation, significantly lower live-weight gain from week 10 to the end of lactation and higher (P < 0.05) live-weight gain during the dry period. Condition score was significantly lower with the HGI (P < 0.001) at all stages of lactation. There was a higher proportion (P < 0.05) of the HGI cows non-pregnant at the end of the 13-week breeding season. Feeding system had a significant effect on the yield of milk (P < 0.001), fat (P < 0.001), protein (P < 0.001) and lactose (P < 0.001). Feeding system B produced significantly higher (P < 0.05) milk yield and yield of constituents (when compared with feeding systems A and C). Over the period when feeding systems were being applied, feeding system C had significantly higher (P < 0.05) milk protein concentration. Feeding system had a significant effect (P < 0.001) on both GDMI and TDMI. Feeding system had no effect on live weight, condition score or fertility performance.


1973 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Rutter

SUMMARYTwo experiments involving the sequential slaughter of intensively fattened store lambs were each carried out over a period of 12 weeks. In the first experiment the lambs were offered a concentrate diet ad libitum. In the second experiment they were offered swede turnips ad libitum with a limited amount of concentrates.In each experiment, similar groups of lambs were slaughtered at equal intervals in order to measure progressive changes in live weight, carcass weight and dry-matter intake. Carcass-weight gain as a proportion of live-weight gain was found to be 74% in the first experiment and 86% in the second experiment.


1971 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kay ◽  
R. Massie ◽  
A. MacDearmid

SUMMARY1. A growth trial was carried out using 24 British Friesian steers given diets containing (1) 100%, (2) 60%, (3) 40% and (4) 0% concentrates and chopped dried grass up to 100%.2. Daily dry-matter intake was significantly lower for steers on Treatment 1 than for steers on the other three treatments.3. Rate of live-weight gain declined from 1·18 to 0·88 kg/day and carcass gain from 625 to 430 g/day between steers on Treatments 1 and 4.4. Killing-out percentage dropped from 55·3% (1) to 51·9% (4) and the 8th-10th rib from steers on Treatments 3 and 4 contained significantly more crude protein and less ether-extractable matter than ribs from steers on Treatments 1 and 2.


1983 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Thomas ◽  
R. M. Tetlow ◽  
B. G. Gibbs ◽  
Margaret Gill

ABSTRACT1. The primary growth of perennial ryegrass was cut between 7 and 9 June and ensiled with formic acid at 2·5 1/t. The regrowth was cut on 24 July; part was dried at high temperature (dried grass), the remainder was left to dry in the field (hay). The dried grass (DG) and part of the hay were ground and pelleted, the hay being pelleted alone (PH) or with the addition of formaldehyde at 20 g/kg crude protein (PHF). The remainder of the hay was offered in the chopped form (CH). The four supplements (CH, PH, PHF, DG) were offered at two levels, 6·5 (L) and 130 (H) g dry matter per kg live weight to 54 British Friesian steers (initial live weight, 110 kg) receiving the silage ad libitum.2. The silage had a high pH and a high proportion of the total nitrogen was in the form of ammonia, indicating poor fermentation. The solubility of nitrogen in the supplements was highest (262 g/kg total nitrogen) in CH, progressively less in PH and PHF and lowest (122 g/kg total nitrogen) in DG.3. Total dry-matter intake was highest with DG at the higher level of inclusion. Dry-matter intake was significantly higher for PH and PHF than for CH (P < 0·001). However, intake of digestible energy did not differ between hays. Live-weight gain was increased from a low level of 0·24 kg/day (silage alone) by all supplements, but this effect was greater with DG than with the hays (P < 0·001). Level of supplementation increased live-weight gain from 0·54 to 0·74 kg/day.4. Supplements of dried grass gave higher live-weight gains than did hay made from the same sward. However, the results indicate that supplementation of badly preserved silage with grass hay of good quality can produce acceptable levels of performance of up to 0·70 kg/day in 4-month-old steers. Processing of the hay had little effect on animal performance.


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