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The effect of winter food level on compensatory growth of weaned, suckled calves grazed at two sward heights

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

I. A. Wright ,
A. J. F. Russel  and
E. A. Hunter
I. A. Wright
Affiliation:
Hill Farming Research Organisation, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0PY
A. J. F. Russel
Affiliation:
Hill Farming Research Organisation, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0PY
E. A. Hunter
Affiliation:
AFRC Unit of Statistics, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
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Abstract

Two experiments were conducted with weaned, suckled calves to investigate the effect of feeding level during the post-weaning winter on their subsequent performance when continuously grazed on pasture maintained at two sward heights. Low, medium and high levels of winter feeding resulted in winter live-weight gains of 0·31, 0·58 and 0·79 (s.e. 0·027) kg/day (P < 0·001) during the 152-day winter in experiment 1 and 0·44, 0·69 and 0·84 (s.e. 0·029) kg/day (P < 0·001) for 189 days in experiment 2. During summer (93 days in experiment 1 and 87 days in experiment 2) there was a significant effect of winter food level on performance when live-weight gains were 1·10, 1·02, 0·87 and 1·35, 1·23 and 1·19 (s.e. 0·060) kg/day for the low, medium and high winter food levels on the short and tall swards respectively in experiment 1 (P < 0·01) and 0·86, 0·66, 0·51 and 1·26, 1·18 and 0·91 (s.e. 0090) kg/day in experiment 2 (P < 0·001). The cattle showing compensatory growth had higher herbage intakes and it is postulated that this occurred because of a negative association between body fat and herbage intake. Sward height had a large positive effect on herbage intake and live-weight gain and it is concluded that for maximum intake on ryegrass swards, herbage height should be at least 8 cm. Lower levels of winter live-weight gain delayed the time to slaughter, but allowed cattle to achieve heavier carcass weights at a fixed level of fatness.

It is concluded that there is no single optimum winter food level for weaned, suckled calves but that the choice will depend upon several factors, including availability of winter and summer food resources, the length of the winter feeding period, the desired date of slaughter and type of carcass to be produced.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 43 , Issue 2 , October 1986 , pp. 211 - 223
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1986

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