Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 September 2010
Mature Angus (A), Hereford (H) and Simmental (S) cows (16 each) that had been randomly assigned and fed a maize silage-based diet at different levels of intake during lactation were selected.
Lean and fat A, H and S cows were fed the maize silage-based diet individually to provide metabolizable energy (ME) intakes of 542, 506; 476, 437; and 624, 597 kj/kg0.75 per day respectively for 84 days. Daily weight gains of lean cows were greater than those of fat cows (0·40 v. 0·11 kg/day) even though daily ME intakes were less (55·2 v. 62·4 MJ/day). Theoretical estimates of ME requirements for maintenance were less for lean than for fat cows, and maintenance of A and H cows tended to be less than those of S cows.
These results suggest that cow maintenance requirements increased in association with fatness that resulted from the previously imposed nutritional regimes and tended to differ among cow breeds.