Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-mlc7c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T16:27:43.111Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Studies on the nutrition of ruminants: 5. The effect of diets containing up to 70% ground barley straw on the live-weight gain and carcass composition of yearling Friesian cattle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

H. Swan
Affiliation:
University of Nottingham, School of Agriculture, Sutton Bonington, Loughborough, Leics.
G. E. Lamming
Affiliation:
University of Nottingham, School of Agriculture, Sutton Bonington, Loughborough, Leics.
Get access

Summary

1. Three groups, each of eight steers, were fed on pelleted diets containing 30, 50 or 70% ground barley straw, maize and soya bean meal. On an air-dry basis the diets contained 12% crude protein.

2. Daily live-weight gain was 1·29, 1·19 and 1·02 kg/day for the 30, 50 and 70% straw diets respectively, and was negatively related to the percentage of crude fibre in the dry matter (r = −0·61, P < 0·05).

3. The apparent digestibility of dry matter, determined in sheep at the maintenance level of feeding was negatively related to percentage crude fibre in the dry matter (r = −0·91, P < 0·001).

4. All animals were killed at approximately the same live weight, which was reached on average in 140,153 and 163 days by the 30, 50 and 70% groups, respectively.

5. The differences in mean carcass weight between treatments were significant (P < 0·05). Killing-out percentage was significantly reduced (P < 0·05) as the proportion of ground barley straw in the diet was increased from 30 to 70%.

6. The proportion of straw in the diet had no direct effect on the composition of carcass gain.

7. The results are discussed in relation to the intake of digestible energy.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1970

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

Axelsson, J. 1940. The value of grassland products in animal nutrition. K. Lantbr.Akad. Tidskr. 79: 399425.Google Scholar
Blaxter, K. L. and Rook, J. A. F. 1953. The heat of combustion of the tissues of cattle in relation to their chemical composition and the heat value of the fat of different domestic animals. Br. J. Nutr, 7: 8391.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blaxter, K. L. and Wainman, F. W. 1961. The utilization of food by sheep and cattle. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 57: 419425.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Franke, E. R. and Weniger, J. H. 1958. The nitrogen, carbon and energy content of the meat. Arch. Tierernähr. 8: 8194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, R. R., Ricketts, G. E., Klosterman, E. W. and Moxon, A. L. 1964. Studies on the utilization and digestion of long, ground and pelleted alfalfa and mixed hay. J. Anim. Sci. 23: 9499.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lamming, G. E., Swan, H. and Clarke, R. T. 1966. Studies on the nutrition of ruminants. 1. Substitution of maize by milled barley straw in a beef fattening diet and its effect on performance and carcass quality. Anim. Prod. 8: 303311.Google Scholar
Leaver, J. D., Campling, R. C. and Holmes, W. 1969. The effect of level of feeding on the digestibility of diets for sheep and cattle. Anim. Prod. 11: 1118.Google Scholar
Minson, D. J. 1963. The effect of pelleting and wafering on feeding value of roughage—A review. J. Br. Grassld Soc. 18: 3945.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pickard, D. W., Swan, H. and Lamming, G. E. 1969. Studies on the nutrition of ruminants. 4. The use of ground straw of different particle sizes for cattle from twelve weeks of age. Anim. Prod. 11: 543550.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., pp. 6777.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swan, H. and Lamming, G. E. 1967. Studies on the nutrition of ruminants. 2. The effect of level of crude fibre in maize based rations on the carcass composition of Friesian steers. Anim. Prod. 9: 203208.Google Scholar