Feed Additives for Fattening Cattle

Author(s):  
M. Kay ◽  
P.J. Broadbent ◽  
E.A. Hunter

Feed additives are widely used in beef production systems. Two trials were made to measure the effect of feed additives on the daily gain and feed efficiency of fattening beef cattle. In the first trial 48 Friesians and 48 weaned suckled calves weighing about 390 kg were fed individually on grass silage ad libitum together with 4 kg (Friesians) and 3 kg (weaned calves) bruised barley daily. The treatments were control (C), no additive; Avotan 150 mg/d (A); Flavomycin 45 mg/d (F) and Romensin 200 mg/d (R). Minerals and vitamins were given daily on the silage. In the second trial there were 240 Friesian and Exotic x Friesian bulls. They were housed on slats in groups of 15 and offered a mixture of bruised barley and soya bean meal ad libitum. The treatments were control, no additive; Flavomycin 50 mg/d, Romensin 210 mg/d and Salinomycin 150 mg/d. In trial 1 the steers were implanted with Ralgro and the heifers with Finaplix. No implants were used in the second trial. All the animals were weighed regularly and feed intake was recorded continuously. They were slaughtered when they achieved the required conformation and fat cover.

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 ◽  
pp. 114-114
Author(s):  
S.P Marsh ◽  
E Walters

The use of barley and a protein supplement such as soya bean meal as an ad libitum ration for intensively finished male beef calves has been well established and widely used since the conception of the cereal beef system in the 1960’s (Preston et al 1963). Rations on commercial beef units rearing Continental cross Holstein beef cattle are usually formulated to contain 175g CP/kg DM. With the recent fall in the price of barley there is increased interest in the cereal beef system for bull calves and late maturing Continental cross Holstein heifers. Increasing the proportion of barley in cereal beef rations can reduce ration costs and provided productivity is maintained, increase profit. There is also a paucity of information on the performance of heifers on the cereal beef system. The objective of this study was to evaluate feeding cereal based rations containing either 140 or 175g CP/kg DM to Continental cross Holstein bulls and heifers.


1991 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. J. Steen

ABSTRACTTwo experiments have been carried out to examine the effects of the level of protein supplementation given with grass silage-based diets on the performance and carcass composition of bulls, and to compare diets based on silage and dried forage. The five treatments used consisted of grass silage offered ad libitum and supplemented with 2·5 kg dry matter (DM) of barley-based concentrates containing (1) zero (2) 200 (3) 400 and (4) 600 g soya-bean meal per kg and (5) artificially dried grass and hay supplemented with 3·2 kg concentrate DM. The silages used in both experiments were well preserved, containing on average 200 g DM per kg; 140 g crude protein (CP) per kg DM; 63 g ammonia-nitrogen per kg total N and 731 g digestible organic matter per kg DM. The bulls were of late-maturing breed type and were initially 12 months old and 412 and 405 kg live weight in experiments 1 and 2 respectively. For treatments 1, 2, 4 and 5 in experiment 1 respectively (treatment 3 was not used) total DM intakes were 8·3, 8·3, 81 and 110 (s.e. 0·21) kg/day; CP intakes 1063, 1271, 1664 and 1539g/day; metabolizable energy intakes (MEI) 98, 99, 96 and 87 MJ/day; carcass weights 317, 316, 317 and 316 (s.e. 3·2) kg; carcass saleable meat concentrations 714, 712, 718 and 716 (s.e. 5·8) g/kg and carcass fat trims 73, 81, 73 and 68 (s.e. 3·9) g/kg. In experiment 2 for treatments 1 to 5 respectively total DM intakes were 8·3, 8·5, 8·3, 8·4 and 11·2 (s.e. 0·26) kg/day; CP intakes were 1090, 1329, 1504, 1720 and 1561 g/day; MEI 102, 106, 103, 103 and 94 MJ/day; carcass weights 318, 331, 330, 327 and 321 (s.e. 3·3) kg; carcass saleable meat concentrations 726, 721, 725, 721 and 732 (s.e. 60) g/kg and fat trims 71, 77, 78, 80 and 64 (s.e. 4·5) g/kg. It is concluded that protein supplementation of a silage-based diet did not affect performance or carcass fatness in experiment 1 or carcass fatness in experiment 2, but including 200 or 400 g soya-bean meal per kg concentrate increased performance in experiment 2. Animals given silage produced fatter carcasses than those given dried forage in experiment 2 but not in experiment 1.


1992 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. J. Steen

AbstractTwo experiments were carried out to evaluate extracted soya-bean meal, fish meal and maize gluten feed as protein supplements for calves offered grass silage ad libitum. The five treatments used in experiment 1 consisted of 1·4 kg per head daily of concentrate dry matter (DM) consisting of (g/kg) 50 molasses and 25 minerals and vitamins plus (1) 925 barley (B), (2) 700 B and 225 extracted soya-bean meal (SBM), (3) 785 B and 140 fish meal (FM), (4) 925 maize gluten feed (MGF) and (5) 2·25 kg DM per head daily of concentrate (1). Those used in experiment 2 consisted of 1·4 kg per head daily of concentrate DM consisting of (g/kg) (1) 1000 B, (2) 800 B and 200 SBM, (3) 860 B and 140 FM, (4) 1000 MGF and (5) 2·25 kg DM per head daily of B. In each experiment the diets were offered to 70 calves which were initially 131 and 130 kg live weight, for periods of 14 and 13 weeks in experiments 1 and 2 respectively. The silages contained 155 and 154 g crude protein (CP) per kg DM; 45 and 77 g ammonia-nitrogen per kg total nitrogen and 698 and 726 g digestible organic matter per kg DM in experiments 1 and 2. Concentrates 1 and 5 contained 104 to 110 g CP per kg DM and concentrates 2, 3 and 4 contained 195 to 204 g CP per kg DM in both experiments. For diets 1 to 5 respectively silage DM intakes were 2·31,2·50,2·53,2·59 and 1 -61 (s.e. 0·097) kg/day; live-weight gains were 0·84,0·98,1 -01, 0·88 and 0·95 (s.e. 0·032) kg/day in experiment 1 and 2·38, 2·53, 2·54, 2·82 and 1·77 (s.e. 0·045) kg/day and 0·90,1·04,1·03,1·05 and 0·99 (s.e. 0·038) kg/day for experiment 2. It is concluded that the use of soya-bean meal rather than fish meal did not affect silage intake or animal performance. Replacing mixtures of barley and soya-bean meal or barley and fish meal with an equal quantity of isonitrogenous maize gluten feed did not affect animal performance in one experiment but significantly reduced it in the other experiment.


1966 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kay ◽  
T. R. Preston ◽  
N. A. MacLeod ◽  
Euphemia B. Philip

1. Nitrogen balance studies were conducted on 8 early-weaned calves fed on four diets containing respectively Peruvian fish meal, soya bean meal, groundnut meal and dried distillers grains as the major sources of protein.2. Nitrogen retention differed significantly between diets, being highest on the fish meal diet, and lowest on the groundnut diet.


1985 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. J. Steen

AbstractTwo experiments were carried out to examine the effects on the intake and performance of calves of supplementing a diet, based on high-digestibility, well-preserved grass silage, with fish meal. The effects of fish-meal supplementation were examined at each of two amounts of concentrate intake (1·05 and 2·2 kg/day) in a 2 × 2 factorial design. Fish meal was offered at a rate of 75 g/kg silage dry-matter (DM) intake. Experiments 1 and 2 involved 36 and 40 castrated male calves, respectively, which were initially 7 weeks old and had a live weight of 70 kg. The treatments were imposed for 20 weeks. The silages used in the two experiments had mean concentrations of 22-8 g nitrogen (N) per kg DM; 524 g protein N per kg total N; 59 g ammonia N per kg total N; 0·4 g butyric acid per kg DM; and 712 g digestible organic matter per kg DM. The concentrate consisted of (g/kg) 800 ground barley, 125 soya bean meal, 50 molasses and 25 mineral and vitamin supplement, respectively, and contained 29 g N per kg DM. Silage DM intakes and live-weight gains for the low and high amounts of concentrate supplementation were 1·93 and 1·46 (s.e. 0·055) kg/day and 0·84 and 1·01 (s.e. 0·013) kg/day respectively. The supplement of fish meal did not affect silage DM intake or animal performance for either concentrate intake. Proportionately, only 0·21 of the difference in live weight at the end of the treatment periods between the two amounts of concentrate intake remained at slaughter at 18 months of age. It is concluded that the optimum growth rate for autumn-born calves during their first winter can be sustained by a diet of high-digestibility grass silage supplemented with a maximum of 1·0 kg cereal-soya bean meal concentrate and that no response in performance was obtained to supplementation of this diet with fish meal.


1991 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. J. Steen

ABSTRACTThree randomized-block experiments involving 87 British Friesian, 18 Simmental × Friesian and 18 Hereford × Friesian, artificially reared calves (mean initial live weight 47 kg and age 9 days), were carried out to examine the effects of the quantity of milk substitute consumed on the lifetime performance of beef cattle. The three treatments were (1) 400 g milk powder per head daily, weaned at 42 days of age (2) ad libitum intake of milk powder, weaned at 42 days and (3) ad libitum intake of milk powder, weaned at 60 days. All calves were individually penned and fed until after weaning; those on treatment 1 were bucket fed twice daily, while those on treatments 2 and 3 sucked the milk from 25·1 containers through artificial teats. They were offered a pelleted, barley/soya-bean meal concentrate (197 g crude protein per kg dry matter (DM)) ad libitum from purchase until intake reached a maximum of 2·7 kg per head daily, and well preserved grass silage ad libitum from 6 weeks of age. Three commercial, skimmed milk-based, acidified milk substitutes (242 and 187 g crude protein and oil per kg respectively) were used. Intakes of milk substitute, concentrate DM and silage DM per calf to 12 weeks of age for treatments 1 to 3 respectively were as follows: 13·0, 39·7 and 54·8 (s.e. 1·67) kg; 88, 73 and 58 (s.e. 1·5) kg and 9·4, 10·6 and 11·2 (s.e. 0·23) kg. Live-weight gains to 12 weeks of age and carcass weights adjusted to 19 months of age were 0·71, 0·82 and 0·84 (s.e. 0·026) kg/day and 335, 340 and 341 (s.e. 3·8) kg. It is concluded that increasing the input of milk substitute above 400 g per head daily until 6 weeks of age produced only a small and uneconomic increase in the lifetime performance of beef cattle.


1979 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 499-503 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. R. Ørskov ◽  
I. McDonald

SummaryA method is proposed for estimating the percentage of dietary protein that is degraded by microbial action in the rumen when protein supplement is added to a specified ration. The potential degradability, p, is measured by incubating the supplement in artificial-fibre bags in the rumen and is related to incubation time, t, by the equation p = a+b(1 – e-ct). The rate constant k, measuring the passage of the supplement from the rumen to the abomasum, is obtained in a separate experiment in which the supplement is combined with a chromium marker which renders it completely indigestible. The effective percentage degradation, p, of the supplement, allowing for rate of passage, is shown to be p = a+[bc/(c+k)] (1-e-(e+k)t) by time, t, after feeding. As t increases, this tends to the asymptotic value a+bc/(c+k), which therefore provides an estimate of the degradability of the protein supplement under the specified feeding conditions.The method is illustrated by results obtained with soya-bean meal fed as a supplement to a dried-grass diet for sheep. The incubation measurements showed that 89% of the soya-bean protein disappeared within 24 h and indicated that it was all ultimately degradable with this diet.When the dried grass was given at a restricted level of feeding the allowance for time of retention in the rumen reduced the estimate of final degradability to 71% (69% within 24 h). With ad libitum feeding there was a faster rate of passage and the final degradability was estimated to be 66% (65% within 24 h).


1982 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Vipond ◽  
E. A. Hunter ◽  
Margaret E. King

ABSTRACTIndividually penned Finnish Landrace × Dorset Horn and Suffolk × Scottish Halfbred ewes were used to study the effects of supplementing diets based on ad libitum swedes. Supplementing a pregnancy diet of ad libitum swedes plus 225 g of hay with 454 g of a barley/soya bean meal supplement per day had no effect on swede intake or ewe performance in terms of the birth weight and survival of lambs born. Level of swede intake during late pregnancy was constant.In early lactation, ewes offered ad libitum swedes plus 225 g hay per day were supplemented with 454 g of either barley or soya bean meal daily. Soya bean meal supplementation resulted in a 014 increase in swede intake to give a daily intake of 113g dry matter per kgM 0·7·5 and a total live-weight gain of 218kg in early lactation compared with a loss of 2·53 kg by barley-supplemented ewes. Lamb daily gain increased by 54g per day. The results are discussed in relation to trends towards the housing of ewes and current feeding practices for lactating ewes.


1989 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 611-615 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Newbold ◽  
P. C. Thomas ◽  
D. G. Chamberlain

Sodium bicarbonate had no effect on the dry-matter (DM) intake of heifers given a complete mixed diet of grass silage, molasses, barley, soya-bean meal and a mineral mix (660, 140, 100, 85 and 15 g/kg DM respectively) when it was incorporated into the mix at 20 and 40 g/kg DM or sprinkled on top of the diet at a rate of 350 g/day. In a second experiment, cows in mid lactation were given a complete mixed diet of silage, barley, soya-bean meal and minerals (660, 240, 85 and 15 g/kg DM) or the same diet with the barley replaced with molasses at 140 g/kg DM. Sodium bicarbonate was sprinkled on top of the diets at 0, 450 or 900 g/day. There were no significant effects on DM intake in the final week of each 3-week period. However, there was an apparent interaction of diet and sodium bicarbonate on the initial acceptance of the diet, with the intake of the diet in week 1 being significantly lower than the final intake with 900 g/day sodium bicarbonate in the absence but not in the presence of molasses.


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