The effect of live weight gain and live weight loss on body composition of merino wethers: noncarcass organs

1. Thirty-three cross-bred lambs were given reconstituted dried whole cow's milk from 1 week of age at different levels of intake and at different frequencies of feeding.2. Feeding frequency had no effect on live-weight gain, N retention or total body composition.3. Lambs given two feeds daily had significantly heavier abomasums than pair-fed lambs given six feeds daily.4. The weights of fat, protein (N x 6.25) and water in the body were closely related to empty body weight; body composition (% of empty body) was not significantly affected by the level of milk intake or by the rate of growth.5. Live-weight gain was closely related to energy intake (r = +0.99) and to N retention (r = +0.97). A live-weight gain of 100 g was associated with an intake of 511 kcal and a N retention of 2.28 g N.

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The effects of quantity and duration of milk feeding on the intake of concentrates and growth of castrated male Saanen kids to slaughter

Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s000335610000636x ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 56 (3) ◽

pp. 327-332 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

T. Yan ◽

J. E. Cook ◽

M. J. Gibb ◽

W. E. Ivings ◽

T. T. Treacher

Keyword(s):

Body Composition ◽

Weight Gain ◽

Daily Intake ◽

Live Weight ◽

Carcass Composition ◽

Regression Equations ◽

Live Weight Gain ◽

Total Intake ◽

Milk Substitute ◽

Weaning Age

AbstractTo examine the possibility of reducing milk substitute costs in artificial rearing of goat kids, 36 castrated male Saanen kids at 2 days of age were randomly allocated across six treatments in a 2×3 factorial design experiment. Milk substitute was provided for the kids over a period of 28 or 39 days, and daily levels of milk substitute dry matter (DM) intake were 0·140,0·176 or 0·272 kg.Increasing the level of milk substitute offered had no significant effect on intake of concentrate up to weaning, but did significantly reduce the total intake of concentrate through to slaughter. Weaning after 39 days, as opposed to 28 days, also significantly reduced the total intake of concentrates. However, there was no difference when the same total quantity of milk substitute was consumed over different periods. Increasing the daily intake of milk substitute significantly increased daily live-weight gain to weaning, but tended to increase the time taken by kids to regain their weaning weight following cessation of milk substitute intake. However, milk substitute level and weaning age did not significantly affect overall daily live-weight gain or the length of time taken to reach 28 kg.Eight additional kids were slaughtered at 2 days of age to develop regression equations relating initial body composition to live weight. These relationships were similar to others published for 2-day-old Saanen kids. Treatments had no significant effect on overall rates of fat, crude protein, water, ash and energy gain or on final body composition, carcass weight or carcass composition when kids were slaughtered at a live weight of 28 kg. These data suggest that savings in milk substitute may be achieved by reducing the weaning age and/or the daily intake level.

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Factors affecting food efficiency and body composition of growing ruminants offered straw-based diets: supplementation with lipids with and without protein meal

Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s000335610000547x ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 51 (2) ◽

pp. 321-331 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

M. F. J. van Houtert ◽

H. B. Perdok ◽

R. A. Leng

Keyword(s):

Body Composition ◽

Weight Gain ◽

Water Content ◽

Live Weight ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Nutrient Utilization ◽

Protein Meal ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Live Weight Gain ◽

Body Fat Content

ABSTRACTGrowing heifers (experiment 1) and wether lambs (experiments 2 and 3) were offered ammoniated cereal straw with or without a protein meal. The effects of supplementation with long-chain fatty acids (LCFA; as calcium salts of LCFA (CaLCFA) or fat prills) on nutrient utilization were studied.Intake of the basal diet (g/kg live weight) was unaffected by the protein meal, but was often reduced by supplementation with LCFA, especially fat prills. Live-weight gain was increased both by supplementation with protein meal and CaLCFA. Fat prills only increased live-weight gain in the presence of protein meal and depressed live-weight gain in the absence of protein meal. There were small differences between the two sources of LCFA in their apparent effects on rumen fermentation.Supplementation with protein meal increased relative protein content (P < 0·05) and tended to increase water content (P > 0·05) in the wethers in experiment 3 (corrected to equal empty-body weight at slaughter). Of the LCFA, only CaLCFA tended to increase relative body fat content (by proportionately 0·23; (P > 0·05) but decreased relative protein and water content by 0·05 and 0·06 (P < 0·05).Supplementation of straw-based diets with as little as 20 g CaLCFA per kg food dry matter improved live-weight gain and efficiency of nutrient utilization of ruminants, particularly when offered in combination with a protein meal. There appeared to be marked differences in the effects of CaLCFA and fat prills on food intake, productivity and to some extent body composition.

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Dietary nitrogen concentration in growing cattle: the effect on growth rate, feed utilization and body composition

Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s0003356100024818 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 85-93 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

J. A. Lindsay ◽

H. L. Davies

Keyword(s):

Body Composition ◽

Weight Gain ◽

Feed Intake ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Nitrogen Concentration ◽

Live Weight ◽

Growth Period ◽

Protein Nitrogen ◽

Live Weight Gain ◽

Omental Fat

ABSTRACTThirty-six British Friesian castrated male cattle (steers) were included in an experiment to measure the response in live-weight gain and body composition to feeding barley-based diets containing increasing levels of formaldehyde-treated soya bean meal. The response was measured between 100 kg and 350 kg or 450 kg live weight. The basal diet of pelleted whole barley and 10% ground oat straw contained 16·6g to 38·5 g nitrogen per kg dry matter. There were no overall differences in live-weight gain or in feed intake. Between 100 kg and 250 kg live weight, live-weight gain increased significantly from 1 08 to 1·24 kg/day when the lowest and highest nitrogen diets respectively were fed (P<0·05). Animals given the highest nitrogen diets also consumed significantly more feed (P<0·05). Conversely, in the subsequent growth period between 250kg and 350kg live weight, live-weight gain decreased from 109 to 0·89 kg/day when the highest nitrogen diet was fed. There were no significant differences in feed intake.Groups of four animals per treatment were slaughtered at 365 kg and 465 kg fasted live weight. When animals were fed 23·7 g nitrogen per kg dry matter and slaughtered at 365 kg fasted live weight there was significantly more omental fat (P<0·05) and the fat depth at the 12th rib was greater than in animals fed the higher levels of nitrogen. The differences in omental fat weight between the 23·7 g nitrogen and 16·6g nitrogen per kg dry matter diets were not significant. The proportion of crude protein (nitrogen × 6·25) in the boneless 9-10-1 lth rib of animals fed 23·7 g nitrogen per kg dry matter was the lowest of all diets and significantly less than the two highest nitrogen diets (P<0·05). When similar animals were slaughtered at 465kg there was a non-significant trend for omental fat weight and fat depth at the 12th rib to decrease as the nitrogen content of the diet increased.

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Body composition studies with the milk-fed lamb. III. The effect of the protein and energy intake on the composition of the live-weight gain

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s002185960001697x ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 75 (2) ◽

pp. 287-292 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

B. W. Norton ◽

K. T. Jagusch ◽

D. M. Walker

Keyword(s):

Body Composition ◽

Body Weight ◽

Weight Gain ◽

Energy Intake ◽

Dietary Protein ◽

Protein Concentration ◽

Live Weight ◽

Dietary Treatment ◽

Experimental Period ◽

Live Weight Gain

SUMMARYNineteen male cross-bred lambs, aged between 2 and 5 days, were allotted to each of three dietary treatments. The protein contents of the diets (on a dry-matter basis) were 12·0% (diet A), 28·5% (diet B) and 45·5% (diet C). The energy intakes of groups of lambs within each dietary treatment varied from below maintenance to ad lib.The experimental period was of 3 weeks and the composition of the live-weight gain was estimated by the comparative slaughter method.Body composition within each dietary treatment was highly correlated with empty body weight, but not with the previous energy intake. The fat content of the gain decreased, and the water and protein contents increased, as the dietary-protein concentration increased.When compared at the same empty body weight, the protein content of the fat-free body of lambs given diet C was significantly higher than that of lambs given diet A. This effect of dietary-protein concentration could not be explained by differences in the amounts of protein stored as wool.

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The prediction of body composition in bacon pigs from measurements of feed intake and live-weight gain

Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s0003356100017098 ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 17 (3) ◽

pp. 295-304 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

R. A. Houseman ◽

I. McDonald

Keyword(s):

Body Composition ◽

Weight Gain ◽

Feed Intake ◽

Live Weight ◽

Fat Free Mass ◽

Chemical Components ◽

Regression Equations ◽

Live Weight Gain ◽

Growing Period ◽

Dependent Variables

SUMMARYPredictions of body composition have been made in 24 baconweight pigs of widely differing fatness, using feed intake and live-weight gain data.Measurements of feed intake and live weight were made every 7 days throughout the growing period from 25 to 90 kg. After each pig was killed at about 90 kg, one carcass side was physically dissected and the whole empty body was chemically analysed. Multiple regression equations were then computed with the dependent variables being the weights of the physically dissectible and the chemical components. The independent variables were initial live weight, energy intake above maintenance, and live-weight gain.The residual standard deviations of the regressions as a percentage of the mean weights of the dependent variables were for body lipid, 5·6%, fat-free mass, 3·3%, dissectible fat, 6·1 % and dissectible lean, 4·9 %. The predictions seem at least as good as can be achieved by more sophisticated techniques.Analysis of the data allowed the efficiency of utilization of energy for protein and lipid deposition to be calculated, and an estimate of the energy costs of maintenance to be made.

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