PSX-A-6 Late-Breaking: Conventional vs Heritage cattle supplement intake, weight-gains, and body condition scores on Chihuahuan desert pasture

2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 375-376
Author(s):  
Matthew M McIntosh ◽  
Richard Estell ◽  
Andres Cibils ◽  
Andrew Cox ◽  
Shelemia Nyamuryekung’e ◽  
...  

Abstract Use of adapted beef cattle biotypes is gaining momentum as a novel management strategy for limiting the environmental footprint of ranching and adapting to climate change in the southwest. We compared supplement intake (SI), calf birthweights, cow weights, and body condition scores (BCS) of desert-adapted Brangus (BR; n = 15) vs. Raramuri Criollo (RC; n = 28) cows in four adjacent pastures (1098±85 ha) for three months (Mar 7 – Jun 9, 2020) using ANOVA for a RCBD (significance at P < 0.05). Cows had ad libitum access to 18% crude protein lick tubs in all pastures, which were weighed weekly to determine SI. Brangus cows had greater SI than RC, both overall (BR: 0.21±0.04 vs. RC: 0.08±0.03 kg×cow×d-1) and on a metabolic bodyweight basis (BR: 2.31±0.09 vs. RC: 0.95±0.09 g×kg0.75). All cows were bred to Brangus bulls and calf birth weights were not different between biotypes (BR: 31.5 ± 1.0; RC: 29.6±0.9 kg). Brangus cows weighed more at the beginning (535.0±14.8 kg) and end (582.2±14.5 kg) of the study compared to RC (beginning: 345.5±11.8 kg; end: 357.0±12.0 kg). Percent of bodyweight change was not different between biotypes (BR: 8.51±2.35; RC: 2.85±1.81 %). On a 1 to 5 scale, BCS of Brangus (4.06±0.09) was greater than RC (3.18 ± 0.07) at the onset of the study, but biotypes had similar BCS at the end of the trial (BR: 4.09 ± 0.09; RC: 3.89±0.08). Our preliminary results indicate that lighter RC cows were capable of gaining bodyweight and improving BCS with reduced SI, both overall and on a metabolic bodyweight basis. This finding may reflect lower nutrient requirements, better relative efficiencies and lesser grazing impacts on desert rangelands by RC cattle. Future studies will seek to replicate these breed-comparison trials over multiple years, research sites, and supply chains, with an emphasis on overall systems production efficiency and sustainability.

1978 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. Evans

ABSTRACTSubjective scoring data may be analysed by ranking methods, ANOVA methods or by inspection of the score distributions. These methods are discussed with particular reference to body condition scores of cows and ewes. A combination of ANOVA and ad hoc inspection was used to analyse data from trials carried out in 1976 to investigate the precision of condition scoring. On the basis of the results, recommendations are made concerning the use of condition scoring on farms and in scoring trials where the object is to monitor assessor bias and inconsistency.


2002 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph M. Navarro ◽  
Dee Galt ◽  
Jerry Holechek ◽  
Jim McCormick ◽  
Francisco Molinar

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-277
Author(s):  
M Geiger ◽  
J Hockenhull ◽  
H Buller ◽  
M Jemal Kedir ◽  
G Tefera Engida ◽  
...  

Donkeys (Equus asinus) are widely used throughout Ethiopia and play essential roles in a variety of everyday and income-generating tasks for the people that use them. The challenges faced by people and their working equids vary across communities and geographic locations. This may have implications for how donkeys are perceived by the people they work for, the roles they fulfil and ultimately their welfare. Two complementary methodological approaches were used in this study to explore the socio-economic value of donkeys for their owners and the welfare of the donkeys in rural and urban Ethiopia. Using a questionnaire, donkey owners were asked about their donkeys, their attitudes and beliefs related to donkey use and ownership, and the role donkeys played in their lives. Animal-based welfare assessments were also conducted on a sample of donkeys from different locations, with the overarching aim of the study to investigate differences in use, beliefs, and donkey welfare between rural and urban locations. In both rural and urban locations, working donkeys are critical for their owners' income-generating activity and therefore their livelihoods. The work they undertake differs substantially between locations, as does their welfare. Work in each setting presents its own challenges and these are reflected in the behaviour and physical health of the donkeys. Rural donkeys showed more apathetic behaviour, a higher ectoparasite burden and greater evidence of tethering/hobbling. Urban donkeys were more alert and had a wider range of body condition scores. The findings highlight marked differences in the role and welfare of donkeys between different areas within the same country, demonstrating the importance of understanding the context, both from the perspective of humans and working equids, prior to staging interventions intended to benefit either party.


2016 ◽  
Vol 154 (6) ◽  
pp. 1102-1109 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. DE JESUS DOS SANTOS ◽  
M. L. ALBUQUERQUE PEREIRA ◽  
M. PEREIRA DE FIGUEIREDO ◽  
H. G. DE OLIVEIRA SILVA ◽  
J. FERREIRA DA CRUZ ◽  
...  

SUMMARYThe experiment, conducted at Bahia, Brazil, from May to August 2010, aimed to evaluate the nitrogen (N) balance, urea excretion and microbial protein synthesis in lactating goats fed pelleted concentrates with the addition of crude protein (CP), obtained by replacing alfalfa hay with soybean meal. The diets consisted of different levels of CP and 200 g of roughage (Tifton 85 hay)/kg. Maize and mesquite bran were used as the energy source, with maize replaced by mesquite bran in the ratio of 1·7:1. Eight female Saanen goats were used, confined in individual pens and allocated to a 4 × 4 Latin square design. The N balance in the body was positive, and loss of body weight (–0·03 g/day) was observed for the diet with 190 g CP/kg. The concentration (mg/dl) of urea in urine, milk and blood plasma was positively influenced in a linear form, and the highest rate of increase was found in urine, with 2 mg/dl for every 10 g CP/kg added to the diet. The microbial protein synthesis was not affected, but the diets reduced the microbial protein (44 g/day) and its ruminal production efficiency (30 g/kg total digestible nutrients). The levels above 190 g of CP are not recommended because of the energy expenditure required to excrete the urea.


2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (9) ◽  
pp. 2311-2321 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Cartmill ◽  
D. L. Thompson ◽  
W. A. Storer ◽  
L. R. Gentry ◽  
N. K. Huff

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 170-171
Author(s):  
Edson Luis de A Ribeiro ◽  
Francisco Fernandes Jr ◽  
Camila Constantino ◽  
Fernando Augusto Grandis ◽  
Natália Albieri Koritiaki ◽  
...  

Abstract This study was conducted with the objective of evaluating the performance, carcass and meat characteristics of castrated and intact Dorper male lambs slaughtered at three different body condition scores. Thirty-five lambs, approximately 3 months old, 21.6 ± 4.0 kg of body weight and 3.1 ± 0.5 of body condition score (BCS), were used. The BCS scale used varied from 1.0 (very thin) to 5.0 (very fat). Four weeks prior to the experiment, 17 lambs were castrated. Lambs were further divided into three groups, according to the criteria for slaughter: BCS of 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5. All animals received the same diet. BCS were achieved after 27, 84 and 130 days in feedlot, respectively. There were no interactions (P > 0.05) between sexual conditions and slaughter criteria. Average daily gain of weight (ADG) was different (P < 0.05) for the three BCS (average of 0.263). However, final body weight (28.6 ± 1.7; 42.7 ± 1.8 and 56.8 ± 1.7 kg) and back fat thickness (0.5 ± 0.5; 4.2 ± 0.5 and 7.3 ± 0.5 mm) were different (P < 0.05) among BCS criteria, panelists found that meats from lambs slaughtered with greater fat content were less (P < 0.05) desirable. We can conclude by the performance and meat results that it is better to slaughter Dorper lambs with BCS with no more than 4.0, or 4.2 mm of back fat cover, and for the best acceptability of the meat the lambs should be castrated.


2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 ◽  
pp. 183-183
Author(s):  
H.C.F. Wicks ◽  
J.D. Leaver

The aim was to estimate the influence of genetic merit (£PIN95) and level of concentrate feeding (Cgrp) on predicted total dry matter intake (tDMI) of individual cows, using records collected from commercial farms. The method described by Wicks & Leaver (2000) was used to estimate individual daily dry matter intakes from seven farms, totalling 4282 monthly records over a two-year period. The method was based on milk production records supplemented by body condition scores and height at withers, which were used to calculated the ME requirements of individual animals. All the records were collected, from autumn and winter (July to March) calving cows during the housed period (August to March).


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1536315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha P. Olivas-Sánchez ◽  
Cuauhcihuatl Vital-García ◽  
Juan P. Flores-Margez ◽  
Antonio De La Mora-Covarrubias ◽  
Fernando Clemente-Sánchez ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 331 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Mellado

Field studies characterising the forage resources of mixed-breed goats on Chihuahuan Desert rangelands were reviewed and the principal sources of variation in their diet choices discussed. Goats eat a varied diet comprising at least 126 plant species in this landscape. Goats are highly selective feeders, changing their diet from predominantly forbs (8–64%) to browse (35–88%). Graminoids make up only ~5% of the diet, but grasses could be important dietary components on rangelands in good condition. Feed intakes range between 0.8% and 3.4% of bodyweight, depending on the season. DM digestibility of forage selected by goats ranges between 44% and 65%. Annual crude protein (CP) in forages selected by goats varies from 80 to 160 g CP kg–1 DM. Overall, pregnant and lactating goats manage to ingest food that contains higher amounts of CP and lower amounts of cell wall than non-pregnant, non-lactating goats. Goats not adapted to severe shortage of forage select a diet that does not match their nutritional requirements and fetal losses occur. Goat kids select higher quality diets than do mature goats (94.5 vs 88.5 g CP kg–1 DM). Granadina goats eat ~20% more shrubs, including 3-fold more Larrea tridentata (DC) Cav., than Nubian goats. Goats with severely eroded incisors avoid grasses, focusing on tender-leaved shrubs. During the rainy season, bucks select mainly shrubs (78% of the diet) and avoid grasses (1.7% of the diet), whereas does rely heavily on forbs (about one-third of their diet). Alternating use of grazing grounds increases shrub ingestion by 25%. No evidence exists indicating that food choice by goats in this arid environment is biased towards forages with lower secondary compounds. It is concluded that the flexible, broad-scale and opportunistic feeding behaviour of goats make them an effective animal to sustainably exploit the forage resources of the Chihuahuan Desert.


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