High forage diets for beef Cattle

Author(s):  
R W J Steen

The use of high-forage systems for beef production is a particularly diverse subject area encompassing the role of both grazed and conserved forage and a wide range of production systems. These include systems such as 12-16 month silage-cereal beef, 16-18 month grass-cereal beef and 22-24 month grass beef for dairy-bred cattle, hill and lowland systems of suckled calf production and systems for finishing store cattle. Consequently, within the constraints of this paper it will be possible to examine only some of the most recent developments in the use of forage for beef production.Digestibility is the most important factor influencing the value of conserved forage for beef production. From a review of eight comparisons in which silage has been offered as the sole feed, silage dry matter (DM) intake, live-weight gain and carcass gain were increased by 17 g/kg, 45 g/day and 33 g/day respectively per 10 g/kg increase in digestibility. In a further nine comparisons involving silages supplemented with concentrates, concentrates constituting 200 to 370 g/kg total DM intake, silage DM intake, live-weight gain and carcass gain were increased by 14 g/kg, 37 g/day and 28 g/day respectively per 10 g/kg increase in digestibility.

1988 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Southgate ◽  
G. L. Cook ◽  
A. J. Kempster

ABSTRACTThe live-weight gain (LWG) and efficiency of food utilization of purebred British Friesian and Canadian Holstein steers and of crossbred steers out of British Friesian dams by Charolais, Hereford, Limousin, Lincoln Red, Simmental, South Devon and Sussex sires were examined in two beef production systems. One was similar to the commercial 18-month grass/cereal system (16-month) and the other to a commercial 2-year system (24-month). The cattle were serially slaughtered at three levels of fatness covering the commercial range and determined by the use of the Scanogram ultrasonic machine. The trial extended over 4 years and involved a total of 650 cattle. Data for the two production systems were analysed separately. Changes in growth performance were examined relative to estimated carcass subcutaneous fat content (g/kg; SFC) and sire breed crosses compared at the mean fatness level within system: 65 g/kg SFe for 16-month and 74 g/kg SFe for 24-month.Sire breed differences were not detected (P > 0·05) in the regressions on SFe of age and live weight at slaughter, overall daily LWG and overall efficiency of weight gain. Pooled within sire breed, live at slaughter and age at slaughter increased by 2·5 kg and 2·8 days (16-month) and 2·2 kg and 2·1 days (24-month) for each g/kg increase in SFe.Charolais crosses and Canadian Holsteins were heaviest at equal SFC in both systems, but the latter were 63 days older (16-month) and 42 days older (24-month): Hereford, Lincoln Red and Sussex crosses were lightest and among the youngest in both systems.Sire breed crosses differed significantly in daily LWG: Charolais crosses grew fastest in both systems; the relative growth rate of other sire breed crosses was less consistent between the two although the Hereford crosses and British Friesians grew slowly in both systems. Overall efficiency of LWG (g gain per kg digestible organic matter intake) ranged from 164 to 205 (16-month) and 146 to 171 (24-month). Canadian Holsteins and British Friesians had the lowest efficiency of LWG in both systems of production; differences between the other breeds were not statistically significant (P > 0·05).


1982 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Southgate ◽  
G. L. Cook ◽  
A. J. Kempster

ABSTRACTThe live-weight gain and efficiency of food utilization of purebred British Friesian steers and of crossbred steers out of British Friesian dams by Aberdeen-Angus, Charolais, Devon, Hereford, Lincoln Red, Simmental, South Devon and Sussex sires were examined in two beef production systems. One system was similar to the commercial 18-month grass/cereal system (16-month system) and the other to a commercial 2-year system (24-month system). The cattle were slaughtered at a standard level of fatness, determined by the use of the Scanogram ultrasonic machine.The trial extended over 3 years and a total of 579 cattle were involved.Data for the two production systems were analysed separately. Adjustment was made to equal age at the beginning of the test and to equal carcass subcutaneous fat concentration.There were important differences between sire breeds in daily live-weight gain (P < 0.05), the order of performance for the different sire breeds being similar in the two systems. Charolais and Simmental crosses grew fastest, followed by South Devon crosses, and then by the purebred British Friesian and the other native breed crosses. Faster growing sire-breed crosses were generally heavier and older at slaughter; they ate more, and there was no obvious relationship between sire-breed means for growth rate and efficiency. The range in efficiency between sire breeds was 27 g and 17 g live-weight gain per kg digestible organic matter intake for the 16- and 24- month systems respectively. In both systems, Hereford crosses ranked highest and the purebred British Friesian among the lowest. Probability levels for sire breed differences were P < 0.1 (16 month) and P < 0.01 (24 month).


Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2275
Author(s):  
Romina Rodríguez ◽  
Oscar Balocchi ◽  
Daniel Alomar ◽  
Rodrigo Morales

Under the predicted conditions of climate change, the productivity of temperate grasslands may be affected by drought stress, especially in spring and summer. In this scenario, water-deficit-tolerant species such as plantain and chicory are interesting alternatives for use in sheep production systems. In this study, we compared a mixture of plantain and chicory herbage (PCH) with a grass-based permanent sward (GBS) on the weight gain and meat quality of lambs finished on these grasslands. Fifteen weaned lambs (31.3 kg and 4 months of age) were assigned to each treatment for seven weeks in late spring and live weight gain (LWG), carcass and meat quality were evaluated. There was a tendency (p = 0.09) in final weight (40.3 ± 0.8 kg) and live weight gain (173 ± 10 g/d) to be higher in PCH compared to GBS. Carcass weight, dressing percentage and meat quality in terms of pH, color and tenderness did not differ (p > 0.05) and were considered to be of good quality. We concluded that both swards result in comparable lamb performance and good meat quality.


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.


1970 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kay ◽  
A. Macdearmid ◽  
R. Massie

SUMMARY1. A growth trial was carried out with 21 Friesian steers given diets containing either 0%, 30% or 50% ground straw, and concentrates up to 100%.2. Steers offered the diet containing 0% straw consumed less dry matter per day than steers on the other two treatments.3. Rates of live-weight gain were 1·20, 1·04 and 0·87 kg/day for the three treatments respectively, and carcass gains were 690, 550 and 440 g/day.4. Killing-out percentage dropped and alimentary-tract fill increased as the proportion of straw in the diet increased.5. The dry-matter digestibility coefficients for the three diets, determined at maximal intake, were 79·1%, 62·3% and 56·6%, respectively.


1984 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 385-390
Author(s):  
A. R. Peters ◽  
D. G. Evans ◽  
D. J. Read ◽  
Janet M. Beeby ◽  
W. Haresign

ABSTRACTYearling steers, 39 Friesians on an 18-month beef production system (group 1) and 38 Hereford × Friesians on a 20-month beef production system (group 2), were weighed, blood sampled and then half of them were implanted subcutaneously with 300 mg trenbolone acetate and 30 mg hexoestrol. All steers were then weighed and blood sampled at 1-month intervals for a further 3 (group 1) or 4 (group 2) months. Serum was assayed for prolactin, insulin, growth hormone, glucose and blood urea nitrogen concentrations. Steroid treatment increased daily live-weight gain by 28 to 37% over the experimental period and the proportional response appeared to be correlated with the plane of nutrition. Neither prolactin nor glucose concentrations were affected by the treatment. However, in both groups 1 and 2, growth hormone concentrations were significantly higher in implanted steers, whilst urea-nitrogen concentrations were significantly lower. Insulin concentrations were consistently, although not significantly, lower in implanted than in control steers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 761-767
Author(s):  
MMH Mustafa ◽  
MR Islam ◽  
MM Rahman

The study was conducted to find out the effect of beef cattle diet on the performance of upgraded Holstein Friesian bulls at BAPARD cattle farm in Bangladesh. For this purpose, twelve Local x Holstein-Friesian upgraded bulls (L×F) of average 20 months of age and 213 kg live weight were divided into three equal groups. Three different diets such as (i) a mixed concentrate ration (T1), (ii) mixed concentrate ration and UMS at a ratio of 1:1 on DM basis (T2) and (iii) green Grass based ration without concentrate and UMS. The results found that the average daily live weight gains of three groups was 350g, 330g and 340g respectively, which were not differ significantly (P<0.05). Daily DM intake was significantly higher in T3 but the digestibility found lower than other treatments. In case of feed conversion ratio (FCR), the highest FCR was found in T1 (2.96) but cost of per kg live weight gain was the lowest in T3 (BDT 90) compared to T1 (BDT 140) and T2 (BDT 142). Therefore, considering the FCR and cost of per unit beef production, a beef diet of green grass might be the appropriate diet for the floodplains area for Local x Holstein-Friesian upgraded bulls. Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. December 2020, 6(4): 761-767


1970 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kay ◽  
A. Macdearmid ◽  
N. A. MacLeod

SUMMARY1. Two growth trials and a digestibility trial were carried out with 48 Friesian steers given diets containing approximately 5, 20, 35 and 50% chopped barley straw and concentrates up to 100%.2. Rates of live-weight gain between 130 and 400 kg declined from 1·18 to 0·65 kg/day and carcass gain declined from 0·62 to 0·30 kg/day as the straw content of the diet increased from 5 to 50%.3. Alimentary tract ‘fill’ increased from 10·5% of live weight with 5% straw to 21% of live weight with 50% straw, and killing-out percentage dropped from 55·5% to 48·3%.4. Both dry-matter digestibility and apparent nitrogen digestibility were lowest for the diet with 50% straw.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elin Stenberg ◽  
Anders Karlsson ◽  
Camilla Öghren ◽  
Katarina Arvidsson Segerkvist

This study evaluated the effects of different lamb production systems on live weight gain (LWG), carcass quality and meat quality. Four production systems for weaned intact male lambs were examined: indoor feeding with grass silage and concentrate (group 1), grazing on cultivated pasture with (group 2) or without (group 3) concentrate, and grazing on semi-natural pasture (group 4). Live weight, carcass weight, dressing percentage, carcass conformation, fatness and pH decline were recorded at slaughter, and M. longissimus thoracis et lumborum was analysed for colour, thawing and cooking loss, pH after 24 hours and 6 days, and Warner-Bratzler shear force. LWG was strongly affected by production system, being highest for group 1 and lowest for group 4 (p<0.001). Group 4 had the lowest conformation (p=0.002) and fat scores (p<0.001). Hence, production system affected age at slaughter, live weight gain, weight at slaughter, carcass conformation and fatness scores, but caused no differences in meat quality attributes in intact male lambs.


1989 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. A. Wright ◽  
A. J. F. Russel ◽  
E. A. Hunter

ABSTRACTFifty-four Charolais-cross weaned suckled calves were used in an experiment to investigate the effects of feeding level during the post-weaning winter on their subsequent performance, when grazing different vegetation types in summer. During winter they were given grass silage and barley at one of three levels (low, medium and high). The winter live-weight gains were 0·50, 0·75 and 0·96 (s.e. 0·019) kg/day (P < 0·001) for the low, medium and high treatments respectively. During summer they grazed either a sown ryegrass pasture (S), a hill reseed (R) or part of an unimproved hill (H).Live-weight gain during summer was inversely related to winter feeding level on all grazing treatments, the mean live-weight gains being 1·01, 0·79 and 0·65 (s.e. 0·027) kg/day (P < 0·001) for the low, medium and high winter feeding levels respectively. Summer treatment significantly affected performance, the live-weight gains being 0·88, 0·94 and 0·61 (s.e. 0·027) kg/day for the S, R and H treatments respectively. There was no interaction between winter and summer feeding treatment on live-weight gain. The organic matter intake was highest on the H treatment but the digestibility of herbage consumed was the lowest, resulting in the lowest digestible organic matter intake.Similar and high levels of performance were obtained on sown ryegrass pastures and reseeded hill land, while unimproved hill vegetation supported only moderate levels of live-weight gain. Compensatory growth occurred when a wide range of vegetation types were grazed in summer.


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