Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-29T00:38:06.835Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of early weaning on the performance of male buffalo and cattle calves

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

A. A. El-Naggar ,
K. El-Shazly  and
I. A. Ahmed
A. A. El-Naggar
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Alexandria, U.A.R.
K. El-Shazly
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Alexandria, U.A.R.
I. A. Ahmed
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Alexandria, U.A.R.
Get access

Summary

Forty-eight uncastrated buffalo male calves and 16 male Friesian × Egyptian Native calves were used in two experiments to study the effect of weaning age on the performance of calves fed on a high concentrate ration after the first four months of age. Half of the buffalo calves were weaned at 120 days of age on to 330 kg whole buffalo milk (late-weaned) and the other half were weaned at 45 days of age on to 100 kg whole buffalo milk (early-weaned). Cattle calves were weaned at 31 days of age on to 65 kg whole cow milk. At the age of 7 days the calves were put on a high energy ration of 74% total digestible nutrients and 13·5% digestible protein. After 125 days of age all calves were offered a high concentrate ration (cottonseed cake and rice bran in the ratio of 1:1, plus 2% Ca(OH)2 and 1% common salt). Air-dried roughage was supplied at a level of ½% of the body weight. Buffalo and f-Native calves reached a slaughter weight of 400 kg or more about 540 days of age. Three-quarters Friesian calves reached the same weight at 480 days of age. The high concentrate ration caused a high incidence of bloat in ¾Friesian bulls. The efficiency of feed utilization was better for cow calves than that for buffalo calves. The system of early weaning of buffalo calves proved to be most economical and saved about 26% of the cost per kg live-weight gain. Slaughter experiments indicated that fat deposition was greater in male cattle of 400 kg than in buffalo bulls.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 14 , Issue 2 , April 1972 , pp. 171 - 176
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1972

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Abdel-Rahman, M. M. 1966. Ph.D. Thesis, Fac. Agric, Cairo Univ.Google Scholar
Ahmed, I. A. and El-Shazly, K. 1960. Early weaning in cow and buffalo calves. Alex. J. agric. Res. 8: 217–219.Google Scholar
Asker, A. A. and Ragab, M. T. 1959. Fattening Egyptian steers in the Tahreer Province. Alex. J. agric. Res. 7: 157–166.Google Scholar
Association Of Official Agricultural Chemists. 1955. Official Methods of Analysis. Association of Official Agricultural Chemists, Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
Borhami, B. E. A., Abou Akkada, A. R., El-shazly, K. and Ahmed, I. A. 1967a. Effect of feeding broken rice grains and decorticated cotton seed meal on feed efficiency, ruminal activity, and blood constituents of early weaned buffalo calves. J. Dairy Sci. 50:1142–1146.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Borhami, B. E. A., El-Shazly, K., Abou Akkada, A. R. and Ahmed, I. A. 1967b. Effect of early establishment of ciliate protozoa in the rumen on microbial activity and growth of early weaned buffalo calves. J. Dairy Sci. 50: 1654–1660.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bray, R. W., Rupnow, E. H., Hannino, F. M., Allen, N. N. and Niedermeier, R. P. 1959. Effect of feeding methods on veal production and carcass quality. II. Carcass grades, liver, hide, specific gravity, yield and chemical analysis of the muscle J. Aram. Sci. 18: 732–737.Google Scholar
Carrol, F. D., Clegg, M. T. and Kroger, D. 1964. Carcass characteristics of Holstein and Hereford steers. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 62: 1–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cover, S., Cartwright, T. C. and Butler, O. D. 1957. The relationship of ration and inheritance to eating quality of the meat from yearling steers. J. Anim. Sci. 16: 946–956.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Khoury, F. C, Ahmed, I. A. and El-shazly, K. 1967. Early weaning in cow and water buffalo calves (Bos bubalus L.). I. Growth rates, efficiency of feed utilization, and cost of unit gain. J. Dairy Sci. 50: 1661–1666.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maymone, B. 1942. [Buffalo breeding in Italy]. Z. Tierziicht ZiichtBiol. 52: 1–44.Google Scholar
Preston, T. R. 1956. Studies on the rearing of calves weaned from milk between two and four weeks of age. Proc. Br. Soc. Anim. Prod. 1956: 67–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Preston, T. R., Whitelaw, F. G., Aitken, J. N., MacDearmid, A. and Charleson, E. S. L. 1963. Intensive beef production. I. Performance of cattle given complete ground diets. Anim. Prod. 5: 47–51.Google Scholar
Richardson, D., Smith, E. F., Baker, F. H. and Cox, R. F. 1961. Effects of roughages-concentrate ratio in cattle fattening rations on gains, feed efficiency, digestion and carcass. J. Anim. Sci. 20: 316–318.Google Scholar
Snedecor, G. W. 1957. Statistical Methods. 5th ed. Iowa State College Press, Ames, la.Google Scholar
Whitaker, R. T., Miller, W. J., Carmon, J. L. and Dalton, H. L. 1957. The influence of level and source of crude fibre in calf starters on weight and feed consumption Dairy Sci. 40: 887–892.CrossRefGoogle Scholar