Evaluation of pasture for beef cattle from measurements of cell wall in separated leaf and stem fractions

1983 ◽  
Vol 100 (3) ◽  
pp. 513-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. W. Moir ◽  
J. P. Ebersohn
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Metabolizable Energy ◽  
Dietary Energy ◽  
High Cell ◽  
Grazing Cattle ◽  
Weight Gains ◽  
Tropical Grass

SUMMARYThree pastures, pangola–clover, setaria, and tropical grass–legume, were grazed for a 9-month period by 12 steers of initial live weight of 199 kg on each. For the first 5 months live-weight gains were, respectively, 1·2, 0·76 and 0·43 kg per day, mostly higher than could be expected for estimated dietary energy concentrations of 10·1, 8·9 and 8·7 MJ of metabolizable energy (ME) per kg of dry matter. The high live-weight gains were not explained satisfactorily by dry-matter intakes as measured from faeces voided and dietary digestible dry matter, but were possible if published values for the requirements of ME for growth and fattening were too high. Cell wall, in vitro digested cell wall and nitrogen in separated leaf and stem fractions were useful indices for evaluating pasture for grazing cattle, but they did not predict live-weight gain.

Faecal output and estimated voluntary dry-matter intake of grazing beef cows, relative to their live weight and to the digestibility of the pasture

1987 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Bruckental ◽  
A. R. Lehrer ◽  
M. Weitz ◽  
J. Bernard ◽  
Hanna Kennit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Experimental Period ◽  
Beef Cows ◽  
Faecal Output ◽  
Grazing Cattle ◽  
Bean Meal ◽  
Voluntary Intake ◽  
Soya Bean Meal

AbstractTwo experiments were carried out with 12 non-pregnant, non-lactating beef cows (Simmental x Hereford cross), six in each experiment. In experiment 1, the cows were grazing stubble pasture and each cow was hand fed 750 g/day soya-bean meal. In experiment 2, the cows were grazing green pasture at the pre-blossom stage. Paraffin-coated magnesium ferrite (MF) was used as an external marker. A capsule containing 5 g marker was administered to each cow twice daily at about 08.00 and 14.00 h. At the same time the cows were also weighed and faecal grab samples (GS) were taken. Each experimental period lasted 18 days: a 10-day period for attaining steady state of the marker, followed by an 8-day period during which faecal GS were taken.Average live weight (LW, kg) and daily faecal output (DFO, kg dry matter (DM) per day) were, respectively 364·2 and 3·39 for cows in experiment 1, and 484·4 and 4·62 in experiment 2. DFO (g): LW (kg) ratios were 9·31: 1 and 9·53: 1 in experiments 1 and 2, respectively.In-vitro digestibilities were used for calculating the voluntary intake (kg DM per day), which was found to be 6·8 and 13·6 for cows grazing stubble and pre-blossom pastures, respectively. The relationships between LW of grazing cattle and their DFO and voluntary food intake are discussed.

The effect of dietary metabolizable energy concentration upon the pre- and post-weaning performance of growing rabbits

1983 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Butcher ◽  
M. J. Bryant ◽  
E. Owen ◽  
I. Leach ◽  
D. H. Machin
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Metabolizable Energy ◽  
Energy Concentration ◽  
Adaptation Period ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Weight Gains

ABSTRACTTwenty-five Californian does were mated and given pelleted diets of either 8(LE) or 10(HE) MJ/kg dry matter (ruminant metabolizable energy values) throughout gestation and lactation. Litter sizes were adjusted to six offspring per doe. Milk yield was estimated from the weight differences of the litters before and after suckling, when the opportunity for nursing was confined to once daily. The young rabbits were allowed access to either the LE or HE diets from 18 days of age. Weaning took place at 32 days of age when four rabbits from each doe grouP × pre-weaning diet were slaughtered. Diet had no effect on litter size or birth weight, but does on the LE diet had lower live weights post partum (P < 0·05). Dry-matter consumption by the does on the LE diet was greater than for the HE diet (P < 0·05) both during gestation and lactation, but calculated metabolizable energy intakes were lower during lactation. There were no statistically significant differences between treatments for milk yield or live-weight gain to weaning and dry-matter intakes of the young at weaning, but daily live-weight gain from fostering to 18 days of age was greater for litters of does fed the HE rather than the LE diet (P < 0·05). There were no statistically significant differences between diets for carcass traits at weaning.After weaning, 32 rabbits were given either the LE or HE diet until 2 kg live weight when they were slaughtered. A post-weaning × pre-weaning diet interaction (P < 0·05) occurred for live weights of the rabbits at the start of the post-weaning trial (i.e. after a 10-day adaptation period) with LE: LE rabbits being lighter than other rabbits as a results of poor live-weight gains during the adaptation period. Live-weight gains to slaughter were greater for the pre-weaning LE diet (P < 0·05) and the post-weaning HE diet (P < 0·01), although dry-matter intakes of the HE diet were less (P < 0·05). Rabbits on the LE diet had greater empty gut weights (P < 0·05) and lighter livers (P < 0·05) at slaughter.

scholarly journals The effect of fishmeal supplementation of a straw-based diet on growth and calorimetric efficiency of growth in heifers

1990 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 639-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Ortigues ◽  
T. Smith ◽  
M. Gill ◽  
S. B. Cammell ◽  
N. W. Yarrow
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
Nitrogen Retention ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Basal Diet ◽  
Metabolizable Energy ◽  
Dairy Heifers ◽  
Dry Matter Digestibility ◽  
Weight Gains ◽  
Acid Detergent Fibre ◽  
Energy Retention

Thirty-two 160 kg dairy heifers were used to measure the effects of increasing dietary protein content on growth and heat production. A basal diet containing (g/kg) 550 sodium hydroxide-treated straw, 220 barley, 220 sugarbeet pulp and 10 urea was offered with 0, 76 and 152 g fishmeal/kg dry matter of the basal diet (F0, F1 and F2 levels respectively). The three diets were each given at two levels of feeding (low, L; high, H): 57.6 g/d per kg metabolic body-weight (W0.75) for the LF0 diet and 74.7 g/d per kg W0.75 for the HFO diet. Apparent digestibility of the diets increased in response to the addition of fishmeal. Mean dry matter digestibility values were 0.67, 0.67, 0.69, 0.66, 0.68 and 0.69 and those for acid-detergent fibre digestibility were 0.60, 0.63, 0.66, 0.58, 0.60 and 0.65 for diets LF0, LF1, LF2, HF0, HF1 and HF2 respectively. Nitrogen retention increased in response to both fishmeal and feeding level. Live-weight gains were 170, 296, 434 g/d for the LF0, LF1 and LF2 diets and 468, 651 and 710 g/d for the HF0, HF1 and HF2 diets respectively. There were significant effects of increasing the plane of feeding and the level of fishmeal in the diet on live-weight gain. Dietary effects on live-weight gains were accompanied by increases in mean energy retention of 23, 45, 82, 94, 160 and 152 kJ/d per kg W0.75 for diets LF0, LF1, LF2, HF0, HF1 and HF2 respectively, but no definite evidence was obtained that dietary supplementation with fishmeal modified the efficiency of utilization of metabolizable energy for growth.

Chemical processing of wheat straw and cotton by-products for fattening cattle 3. Performance of animals receiving material in complete feeds

1980 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Levy ◽  
Z. Holzer ◽  
Y. Folman
Keyword(s):  
Sodium Hydroxide ◽  
Wheat Straw ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Metabolizable Energy ◽  
Feeding Trial ◽  
Cotton Stalks ◽  
Sodium Hydroxide Treatment

ABSTRACTThe fibrous roughages, wheat straw (WS) and cotton stalks (CS), were left untreated or treated with 30 g sodium hydroxide per kg, and residual alkali was either neutralized with sulphuric acid or left unneutralized. All roughages were pelleted and used either in complete feeds or separately. The effects of these treatments on the nutritive value of the roughages were examined in digestibility trials in vitro and in vivo, and in a 7·month feeding trial of a factorial arrangement of 2 × 3 × 2, in which the roughages constituted 350 g/kg of the diets. Approximately 150 g/kg of the neutral-detergent fibre (cell wall) constituents of both roughages was solubilized by sodium hydroxide treatment, while the changes in acid-detergent fibre components (cellulose and lignin) were much smaller, although evident.In vitro-dry matter digestibility of wheat straw was 22 % higher than that of cotton stalks, and its increase due to NaOH treatment was 50% and 30% for wheat straw and cotton stalks, respectively. In vivo digestibility of organic matter of wheat straw was increased from 0·47 to 0·59, and that of cotton stalks from 032 to 037. The increase was evident in all components except protein, in which digestibility was reduced. The increase in the metabolizable energy values of wheat straw from 6·86 to 7·45MJ/kg dry matter and that of cotton stalks from 4·77 to 5·10MJ/kg dry matter following sodium hydroxide treatment was not reflected in daily live-weight or carcass-weight gain in the feeding trial. The animals offered NaOH-treated roughages had significantly more fat trim, and more fat in the large depots. Including roughages in complete feeds revealed no advantage in metabolizable energy conversion into live weight.

The performance of fattening cattle offered barley and grass silage in various proportions either as discrete feeds or as a complete diet

1980 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Petchey ◽  
P. J. Broadbent
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Metabolizable Energy ◽  
Once Daily ◽  
Grass Silage ◽  
Calculated Energy ◽  
Complete Diet ◽  
Weight Gains

ABSTRACTSeventy-two male castrates (60 British Friesian and 12 Lincoln Red Shorthorn × (Hereford × British Friesian)) were used. The barley was offered either once daily or in a homogenous mix (complete diet) at different proportions of the total dry matter. The diets ranged from silage alone to one of rolled barley plus 1 kg long hay per day. Animals on the complete diet had greater intakes (8·9%) than those offered their barley once daily but this was not reflected in significantly greater daily live-weight gains. Curvilinear regressions were fitted to the data but further investigations with different breeds of cattle and qualities of grass silage will be required before they can be used with any assurance for predictive purposes in advisory situations. When steers were fed on diets with more than 0·40 barley in the total dry matter their intakes declined but their calculated energy (MJ metabolizable energy) intakes remained similar. It is suggested that this finding should be taken into account when diets for cattle are formulated for advisory purposes.

Diet selection of sheep: sodium bicarbonate, but not the offering of hay, modifies the effect of urea on diet selection

2002 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. James ◽  
I. Kyriazakis ◽  
G. C. Emmans ◽  
B. J. Tolkamp
Keyword(s):  
Sodium Bicarbonate ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Diet Selection ◽  
Metabolizable Energy ◽  
Fresh Matter ◽  
Total Food Intake ◽  
Period 2 ◽  
Control Food ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractThe hypotheses tested were that the expected preference of sheep for a food with adequate rumen degradable protein (RDP) supplemented with urea would be reduced both by the addition of a buffer (sodium bicarbonate (SB)) and by offering ad libitum access to hay. A control food (C), calculated to be adequate in its ratio of effective RDP to fermentable metabolizable energy (fME), was formulated. Other foods were made by adding 12·5 (U1) or 25 (U2) g urea per kg fresh matter (FM) to C and 20 g SB per kg FM to C, U1and U2. The acid buffering capacity (ABC) of each food was measured in vitro. The experiment consisted of two successive periods, each of 4 weeks. Ninety-eight female, Texel ✕ Greyface sheep were randomly allocated to 14 groups each with seven animals. Groups 1 to 6 were offered one of: C, U2, C + SB, U2+ SB, C with hay or U2with hay throughout the experiment. Groups 7 to 10 were offered the choices of C v. U1or C v. U2, either with or without hay in a change-over design; animals that received hay during period 1 (groups 8 and 10) did not do so during period 2 and vice versa (groups 7 and 9). Groups 11 to 14 (no. = 7) were offered the choices of C v. U1or C v. U2, either with or without SB supplemented to both foods, in a change-over design. Adding either urea, or SB, or both to C had no effects on intake or live-weight gain when offered alone. Both supplements significantly (P 0·001) increased the ABC of food C. Throughout the experiment hay consumption was very low (overall mean: 23 (s.e. 2·5) g hay per sheep day). Offering hay caused no change in the preference for the urea-supplemented foods. Sheep offered the choices C v. U1or C v. U2, with neither hay nor SB, selected 0.466 (s.e. 0·036) and 0.588 (s.e. 0·025) kg/kg total food intake (TFI) of U1and U2respectively. The proportions of the urea-supplemented foods were significantly reduced (P 0.01) by SB supplementation: to 0.348 (s.e.0·045) and 0·406 (s.e.0·059) kg/kg TFI of U1and U2respectively. The effect of SB addition on the diet selection of sheep could be due to its buffering properties. When SB is added to both foods the need for urea to be used as a buffer is reduced with a consequent decrease in the proportion selected as the urea-supplemented food. Effects of diet on buffering may override other diet selection objectives, such as the avoidance of an excess intake of RDP.

EFFECT OF STRUCTURAL AND CHEMICAL FACTORS OF FORAGES ON POTENTIALLY DIGESTIBLE FIBER, INTAKE, AND TRUE DIGESTIBILITY BY RUMINANTS

1988 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 787-799 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. GIRARD ◽  
G. DUPUIS
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Plant Cell Wall ◽  
Neutral Detergent Fiber ◽  
Optimum Number ◽  
Apparent Digestibility ◽  
Cool Season ◽  
Dry Matter Digestibility ◽  
True Digestibility

In view of the large variation found in plant cell wall digestibilities with ruminants, an attempt was made to group 124 feeds into different lignification classes (clusters) on the basis of chemical characteristics. Each feed cluster was described using a structural coefficient [Formula: see text] that related the potentially digestible fiber (PDF, %) to the ratio between lignin and cell wall volume. The optimum number of clusters was determined iteratively by performing a regression of the apparent digestibility of dry matter at maintenance level (DDM1, %) against the PDF and cell soluble (SOL, %) contents of feeds. The [Formula: see text] coefficients varied from 0.05 (grains, N = 13) to 1.85 (corn silage, N = 3) and increased with the maturity of the grasses from 0.88 (legumes, vegetative cool season grasses, N = 26) to 1.33 (mature, cool season grasses, N = 19). Predicted PDF were closely correlated (r > 0.9, P < 0.01) to in vitro cell wall disappearances (IVCWD). Apparently digestible cell wall in four grasses and four legumes increased linearly with 96-h IVCWD and standard error (SE) was similar to the SE of predicted apparent digestible SOL from SOL concentrations. Assuming that similarity between SE could be also observed in larger samples, PDF and SOL were used in summative equations to predict apparent dry matter digestibility. DDM1 discounted for intake (DDM1 – 4, %) was regressed against SOL and PDF concentrations of 87 feeds:[Formula: see text]with ds and df, the true digestibilities of SOL and PDF. Estimates of ds and df were 0.98 and 0.95 for a zero-production (maintenance) level of intake, and 0.91 and 0.79 for an intake level four times maintenance. Since the true digestibility of the PDF component was only 4% – 13% lower than that of the cell soluble component, the concentration of PDF in cell wall was the major determinant in the variation in apparent digestibility of forages. Key words: lignin, neutral detergent fiber, true digestibility, cluster analysis, feeds

An evaluation of beef carcass quality 1. The influence of cereal feeding on the growth and carcass quality of Friesian steers

1972 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Hinks ◽  
J. H. D. Prescott
Keyword(s):  
Meat Quality ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Carcass Composition ◽  
Factorial Experiment ◽  
Carcass Quality ◽  
Grazing Cattle ◽  
Weight Gains ◽  
Second Period ◽  
Tasting Panel

SUMMARYTwenty-four Friesian steers, initially 5 months of age, were involved in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment which spanned grazing and silage feeding periods of 22 weeks' duration. In the first period, cattle were stocked at a uniformly high density, with half of the group being fed 1·25 kg/head per day of supplementary barley. In the second period, the cattle were subdivided into four groups and fed varying levels of barley with silage. Finally all the animals received 3·65 kg/head per day of barley. Replicates of the four treatments were slaughtered at random after 5 to 11 weeks on this treatment. Whilst supplementary cereal feeding significantly increased the live-weight gains of steers at grass by 11%, this live-weight advantage was offset by their slower gains in the final weeks before slaughter. Feeding cereals to grazing cattle had little effect on carcass composition or the proportions of carcass joints, but their beef was considered, by a tasting panel, to be more tender than the meat from the control steers.Increasing the level of barley fed with silage only increased live-weight gains by 2%, and had little effect on carcass or meat quality.

Effects of nutrition in late pregnancy on subsequent milk production in Ewes

1970 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. T. Treacher
Keyword(s):  
Milk Production ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Late Pregnancy ◽  
Lower Content ◽  
Weight Changes ◽  
Total Birth ◽  
Weight Gains ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Voluntary Intake

SUMMARY1. Scottish Half-bred ewes carrying twin foetuses were fed individually to make live-weight gains in the last six weeks of pregnancy of (1) 20%, (2) 10% and (3) 0% of their live weight in week 14 of pregnancy. In lactation the ewes were fed ad libitum. The lambs were removed 12 to 16 hr after parturition and the ewes were machine-milked twice daily for the first six weeks of lactation.2. Total birth weights per ewe of twin lambs from the treatments were (1) 10·10 kg, (2) 9·44 kg and (3) 8·18 kg and differed significantly.3. The level and pattern of voluntary intake in lactation did not differ significantly between the treatments. Total dry-matter intakes in the six weeks of lactation were (1) 121·9 kg (2) 105·9 kg and (3) 109·5 kg.4. The pregnancy treatments affected the level of milk production and the shape of lactation curves. The total yields in the first six weeks of lactation were (1) 58·8 kg, (2) 43·5 kg and (3) 26·9 kg. Higher contents of fat and protein and the lower content of lactose in the milk from treatment-3 ewes on days 1 and 3 of lactation indicated a slower onset of lactation in these ewes. Between days 7 and 35 of lactation the contents of fat and SNF were lowest on treatment 3 but the differences were not significant.5. The live-weight changes in lactation, which were in inverse order to the gains in late pregnancy, were (1) 3·4 kg, (2) 5·5 kg and (3) 9·5 kg.

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