Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T20:07:15.286Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A note on the post-weaning performance of autumn-born suckled calves

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

K. Osoro  and
I. A. Wright
K. Osoro
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Pentlandfield, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RF
I. A. Wright
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Pentlandfield, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RF
Get access

Abstract

Thirty-nine Charolais × (Hereford × Friesian) autumn-born calves, whose dams had been given either 92 or 63 MJ metabolizable energy per day during winter and subsequently grazed at two sward heights, either 4-8 (short) or 7·6 (tall) cm from 6 May until weaning on 3 July in a factorially designed experiment, were used to examine the effect of pre-weaning performance on post-weaning growth rates. Following weaning the calves grazed as one group for a period of 76 days. There was no effect of winter treatment on postweaning performance. From weaning until 76 days later there was a significant (P < 0·01) effect of pre-weaning sward height on live-weight gain (0·94 and 0·69 kg/day for the calves from the short and tall swards respectively), so that the 41 kg liveweight difference at weaning was reduced to 22 kg (P > 0·05) with compensatory growth occurring independently of the height of the sward grazed.

Keywords

beef cattlegrazinggrowth
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 52 , Issue 3 , June 1991 , pp. 551 - 553
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1991

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

Alexander, R. H. and McGowan, M. 1966. The routine determination of in vitro digestibility of organic matter in forages — an investigation of the problems associated with continuous large-scale operation. Journal of the British Grassland Society 21: 140–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barthram, G. T. 1986. Experimental techniques: the HFRO swardstick. Biennial Report, Hill Farming Research Organisation 1984-85, pp. 29–30.Google Scholar
Drennan, J. M. J. and Harte, F. J. 1979. Compensatory growth in cattle. 2. Influence of growth rate in the calf stage (birth to 8 months) and during the first winter (8 to 13 months) on subsequent performance and carcass composition. Irish Journal of Agricultural Research 18: 145–156.Google Scholar
Ellenberger, H. B., Newlander, J. A. and Jones, C. H. 1950. Composition of the bodies of dairy cattle. Bulletin, Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station, No. 558.Google Scholar
Everitt, G. C. and Jury, K. E. 1977. Growth of cattle in relation to nutrition in early life. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 20: 129–137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fox, D. G., Johnson, R. R., Preston, R. L., Dockerty, T. R. and Klosterman, E. W. 1972. Protein and energy utilization during compensatory growth in beef cattle. Journal of Animal Science 34: 310–318.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morgan, J. H. L. 1972. Effect of plane of nutrition in early life on subsequent live-weight gain, carcass and muscle characteristics and eating quality of meat in cattle. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 78: 417–423.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swift, G., Lowman, B. G., Scott, N. A., Peebles, K., Neilson, D. R. and Hunter, E. A. 1989. Control of sward surface height and the growth of set stocked finishing cattle. Research and Development in Agriculture 6: 91–97.Google Scholar
Tilley, J. M. A. and Terry, R. A. 1963. A two-stage technique for the in vitro digestion of forage crops. Journal of the British Grassland Society 18: 104–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wardrop, I. D. 1966. The effects of the plane of nutrition in early post-natal life on the subsequent growth and development of cattle. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 17: 375–385.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wright, I. A. and Russel, A. J. F. 1991. Changes in the body composition of beef cattle during compensatory growth. Animal Production 52: 105–113.Google Scholar
Wright, I. A., Russel, A. J. F. and Hunter, E. A. 1986. The effect of winter food level on compensatory growth of weaned, suckled calves grazed at two sward heights. Animal Production 43: 211–223.Google Scholar
Wright, I. A., Russel, A. J. F. and Hunter, E. A. 1987. The effects of genotype and post-weaning nutrition on compensatory growth in cattle reared as singles or twins. Animal Production 45: 423–432.Google Scholar
Wright, I. A., Whyte, T. K. and Osoro, K. 1990. The herbage intake and performance of autumn-calving beef cows and their calves when grazing continuously at two sward heights. Animal Production 51: 85–92.Google Scholar