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Intensive beef production 3. Performance of Friesian steers given low-fibre diets

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

T. R. Preston ,
J. N. Aitken ,
F. G. Whitelaw ,
A. Macdearmid ,
Euphemia B. Philip  and
N. A. MacLeod
T. R. Preston
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen
F. G. Whitelaw
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen
A. Macdearmid
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen
Euphemia B. Philip
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen
N. A. MacLeod
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen
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Summary

Two groups of twelve-week-old Friesian steer calves were self-fed to a slaughter weight of 400 kg. on diets composed solely of either 85% rolled barley or ground maize and 15% of a supplement providing additionalprotein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, copper, cobalt, salt and vitamin A and vitamin D.

There were no health problems on the barley diet, but five of the 15 cattle given maize died from bloat.

Surviving animals on the maize diet took 344 days to reach a carcass weight of 231 kg.; comparable data for the barley-fed cattle were 362 days and 222 kg. The tenth rib cuts from the carcasses of cattle given maize contained significantly more fat and less water and ash than comparable cuts from the barley animals. Feed conversion ratio on the barley diet was 4·76.

A comparison between the Friesian steers in the present trials and others given a lower energy diet containing ground roughage showed that with increasing concentration of the ration there was an increase in rate of gain, killing-out percentage and content of ether extract in the tenth rib cut.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 5 , Issue 3 , October 1963 , pp. 245 - 249
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1963

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References

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