The effect of cow genetic index and grass-based feeding system on the performance of spring-calving Holstein-Friesian cows in second lactation

1999 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 141-146
Author(s):  
P. Dillon ◽  
F. Buckley ◽  
S. Snijders ◽  
S. Crosse
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Dry Matter Intake ◽  
Feeding System ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Holstein Friesian ◽  
Condition Score ◽  
Genetic Index ◽  
Feeding Systems

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.

Dry-matter intake and live-weight gain of cattle and sheep offered different grass varieties with and without clover

1969 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. Miles ◽  
R. J. K. Walters ◽  
E. M. Evans
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Dry Matter Intake ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Feeding Value ◽  
Feeding Trials ◽  
Animal Feeding

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.

Effects of supplementing maize and grass silages with barley, and maize silage with urea or ammonia, on the intake and performance of fattening bulls

1980 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 243-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Aston ◽  
J. C. Tayler
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Metabolizable Energy ◽  
Dry Matter Intake ◽  
Carcass Quality ◽  
Maize Silage ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Grass Silage ◽  
Ad Libitum

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.

A note on the progressive carcass-weight changes of fattening store lambs

1973 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Rutter
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Carcass Weight ◽  
Dry Matter Intake ◽  
Weight Changes ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Ad Libitum

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.

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
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Formic Acid ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Nitrogen Retention ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Metabolizable Energy ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Dry Matter Intake ◽  
Soluble Carbohydrates ◽  
Live Weight Gain

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.

Intensive beef production. 12. Replacement of concentrates with chopped dried grass

1971 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kay ◽  
R. Massie ◽  
A. MacDearmid
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
The Other ◽  
Dry Matter Intake ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Growth Trial

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.

Beef production from silage 3. The effect of supplements of hay and dried grass on the performance of beef cattle

1983 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Thomas ◽  
R. M. Tetlow ◽  
B. G. Gibbs ◽  
Margaret Gill
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Total Nitrogen ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Dry Matter Intake ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Ad Libitum

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.

Preliminary findings of genotype variations in growth rate and feed intake of weaner deer

2003 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 41-43
Author(s):  
D.R. Stevens ◽  
I.D. Corson ◽  
R.P. Littlejohn
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Cervus Elaphus ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Red Deer ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Day Length ◽  
Dry Matter Intake ◽  
Hybrid Male ◽  
Live Weight Gain

Deer are seasonal animals with a feed intake that varies with day length, reaching a low in winter. Feed intake then rises rapidly in spring. Superimposed on the nutritional response to day length are the genetics of the deer. This paper documents preliminary findings of live weight gain in winter and spring and intake during September for red deer (Cervus elaphus) and elk (Cervus elaphus canadensis) x red deer hybrids. Two experiments examined the relative growth rates and feed intake of rising 1 year old red and elk x red hybrid male deer during winter and spring 2001 and 2002. Live weight gain was higher in the elk x red than the red deer in both winter (averaging 262 and 144 g/d respectively) and spring (averaging 390 and 272 g/d respectively). Dry matter intake in September 2001 was 1.64 and 2.13 kg DM/d for red and elk x red deer respectively (P=0.003). Dry matter intake in September 2002 averaged 2.04 and 2.35 kg DM/d (P

The performance of early-weaned calves offered concentrates or artificially dried grasses

1974 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Marsh
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Dry Matter Intake ◽  
Causal Factors ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter ◽  
Matter Basis

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.

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