bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Responses of Matebele goats of Zimbabwe to feeding level: late pregnancy
Authors: Majele Slbanda L , Bryant M.J. , Ndlovu L.R. 
Published: June 2019

Under conventional husbandry conditions, Matabele goats kid all year round and, as they receive no supplementary feed, they are frequently exposed to periods of feed scarcity. The aim of this experiment was to determine maternal and foetal responses to different feeding levels during pregnancy.The work was carried out at the Thuli Breeding Station, in Matebeleland, south western Zimbabwe. Forty-two Matebele goats carrying single kids were individually penned and randomly allocated to each of three treatments as they reached week 14 of gestation. The treatments were; Low (L)=0.25 MJ ME / kg0.75, Medium (M)=1.5xL and High (H)=2.5xL. Whole maize grain, lucerne hay and veld hay (see Table 1) were offered at levels calculated to provide 0.2, 0.24 and 0.56 of the total ME. Drinking water and an iodized mineral lick were available to all goats ad libitum. Feed intake was measured daily. Does were weighed and body condition scored (on a scale of 1-10) weekly and within 8 hours of parturition. Kids were weighed at or soon after birth.
Body composition and performance of autumn-calving Holstein-Friesian dairy cows during lactation: energy partition
Authors: Cammell S.B. , Beever D.E. , Sutton J.D. , Spooner M.C. , Haines M.J. 
Published: June 2019

Previous experiments have demonstrated the effects of diet composition, energy substrate and stage of lactation on the energy balance of lactating Friesian cows (Beever et al 1989). The purpose of the present experiment was to extend these studies by measuring energy balance and respiratory exchange in parallel with direct measurements of changes in body composition by slaughter. (See accompanying summaries).Nine cows were selected on the basis of age, parity, live weight and previous lactational performance to be similar to those in an associated feeding trial (Sutton et al 1992). They were allocated to 3 (L), 6 (M) and 9 (H) kg DM/day of concentrates (206g CP and 12 MJ ME per kg DM) with grass silage ad libitum (206g CP and 10.4 MJ ME per kg DM). Measurements of energy exchange were made at five stages of lactation, weeks 5, 10. 16, 22 and 28. Gaseous exchange was measured during each stage of lactation for 4 days using open-circuit respiration calorimetry followed by a 6 day collection of faeces and urine.
Effect of energy status on milk production responses to dietary addition of fat in cows
Authors: Martin P.A. , Chamberlain D.G. , Choung J.J. , Robertson S. 
Published: June 2019

Adding appropriate fats to diets for dairy cows has the potential to improve the acceptability of dairy products to the health-conscious consumer by increasing the proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids in milk fat. However, concentrations of protein in milk are often concurrently depressed. In these respects responses to fat resemble those seen in animals in negative energy balance, where the contribution of fatty acids mobilized from adipose tissue to milk fat synthesis leads to similar changes in milk fat composition, and milk protein concentrations are relatively low.These similarities give rise to two questions: (i) do the metabolic adaptations during negative energy balance influence the utilization of dietary fat for milk fat synthesis, and (ii) is the mechanism whereby milk protein is depressed the same in both cases? As a preliminary investigation of this, an experiment was conducted to compare the effects of dietary fat supplementation on performance of lactating cows either mobilizing or depositing body tissue.
Effect of fishmeal and wheat bran diet on the performance of local lactating cows in Bangladesh
Authors: Khan M.A.S. , Akbar M.A. , Topps J.H. 
Published: June 2019

Nine local (indigenous) Zebu cows of average body weight 156 kg. were used to examine the performance in their first lactation given either fishmeal or wheat bran diets.Fishmeal diet (A) consisted of 11.5 kg urea treated straw, 4 kg green grass and 0.25 kg of fishmeal. This diet contained an estimated 63 MJME, 518 g of rumen degradable protein (RDP) and 146 g of undegraded dietary protein (UDP). The wheat bran diet (B) consisted of 11.6 kg urea treated straw, 4 kg green grass and 0.5 kg wheat bran. This diet contained an estimated 66 MJME, 523 g of RDP and 91 g of UDP. Total dry matter intake of the two diets, A and B were 7.5 and 7.83 kg/d respectively. Therefore the two diets differed mainly in UDP levels. The composition and nutritive value of the ingredients of the two diets are given in Table 1 and 2.
Genetic parameters and trends for production traits in jersey island heifers
Authors: Mrode R.A. , Swanson G.J.T. , Bellamy H.J. 
Published: June 2019

Lactation records of Jersey cattle on Jersey Island are recorded within National Milk Records of England and Wales (NMR). Since it is a closed breed population, it is not possible to amalgamate these data with Jerseys recorded in the United Kingdom (UK). Presently genetic evaluations of Jersey Island bulls are carried out using heifer records with a modification of the model used in the UK to account for the smaller herd sizes. Cows are not evaluated.The objective of this study was to analyse Jersey Island data in order to estimate genetic parameters and establish genetic trends after evaluating all bulls and cows using an Individual Animal Model (LAM).
A Study of the timing and duration of oestrus in sows post-weaning and of problems at mating
Authors: Huang  , Wen-Yu  , Behan J , Beveridge L , Rodrigo C , Dunne J H , Hutchinson J S M , Macpherson O , Roden J A , English P R 
Published: June 2019

General recommendations are made (e.g. Gomes, 1977; Dzuik, 1970) that, in order to achieve maximum conception rate and litter size, sows should be mated or inseminated 9 to 15 hours prior to ovulation and that this coincides with an interval of 30 to 36 hours after the start of standing oestrus (SO). This assumes that sows will be in standing oestrus for around 48 hours. Surprisingly little data is available on the length of SO In modern sows on current production systems. Accordingly length of SO was determined in a large commercial herd weaning at around 3 weeks of age.A team of observers determined the start, completion and duration of SO in 101 multi parity sows. The sows were tested for SO daily from weaning at 8 hourly intervals (00.00, 08.00 and 16.00 hr) until the end of SO by taking sows individually from their small post-weaning groups to an oestrus checking area. Boars were penned around this area and SO was checked using the back pressure test.
The performance of dairy cows fed maxgrass and formic acid treated silages
Authors: Murphy J. J. 
Published: June 2019

Maxgrass is a silage additive consisting of a premixture of carboxylic acids containing ammonium hexamethanoate (68%) and ammonium hexapropanoate (10%). In theory, this additive when used on grass for ensiling at a high rate (6.0 1/t) should restrict fermentation, thereby reducing the level of VFA and lactic acid production and increasing the amount of residual WSC in the silage. It is claimed that silage with these characteristics should result in higher dry matter intakes and better animal performance. The objective of this experiment was to compare the performance of dairy cows fed either maxgrass or formic acid treated silages at two levels of concentrate supplementation.Silage was harvested unwilted from a primary growth sward of perennial ryegrass on May 21 and 22, 1990. The additive treatments applied through the harvester were: (i) Maxgrass - 6 1/t grass and (ii) formic acid - 2 1/t grass. Cows calving between mid-September 1990 and early January 1991 were used to evaluate the silages.
The effect of maxgrass silage additive and level of concentrate supplementation on silage intake, animal performance and carcass characteristics of finishing beef cattle
Authors: Poots Rosemary E , Carson M T , Kennedy S J 
Published: June 2019

Maxgrass (BP Chemicals Ltd), a product containing ammonium hexamethanoate, ammonium hexapropionate and carboxylic acids, has been claimed to restrict the extent of WSC fermentation in herbage during ensiling. This has been shown to result in increased DM intake and subsequent animal performance (Kennedy 1990). The objective of the present experiment was to further investigate the effects of this treatment of grass at ensiling and in particular to examine the interaction of the responses with levels of concentrate supplementation when offered to finishing beef cattle. Evaluation parameters included an assessment of additive effect on silage intake, animal performance and carcass characteristics.Approximately 70 tonnes of primary growth grass was ensiled from 22-24 May 1990 into each of eight concrete covered, walled silos (4 per treatment). Grass was treated with Maxgrass (6 l/t) or left untreated. Seventy-two Continental cattle (460 kg) were blocked into groups of 9 according to liveweight and allocated at random to either untreated or Maxgrass treated silage supplemented with 0, 1.5, 3.0 or 4.5 kg/day of a 15% CP proprietary beef concentrate or slaughtered.
Epiphytic lactic acid bacteria succession during the pre-ensiling and ensiling periods of alfalfa and maize
Authors: Lin Chunjian , Bolsen K. K. , Brent B. E. , Fung D.Y.C. , Aimutis W. R. 
Published: June 2019

Epiphytic LAB, e.g., lactobacilli, lactococci, enterococci, pediococci, streptococci, and leuconostocs, play a major role in silage fermentation. Their numbers and populations have become a concern in predicting the adequacy of silage fermentation and in determining whether or not to apply a bacterial inoculant (Bolsen et al, 1989). Epiphytic LAB counts are usually low and variable on silage crops (Lin et al, 1991), and increases in the LAB counts usually occur coincident to the chopping process. Only limited information is available concerning the succession of epiphytic LAB species during the ensiling period of alfalfa (Medicago sativaL.) and maize (Zea mays L.), the two major silage crops in North America. The present studies investigated the epiphytic LAB succession during the pre-ensiling and ensiling periods for two cuttings of alfalfa, each harvested at three stages of maturity, and three whole-plant maize hybrids.A second-year stand of alfalfa was harvested at the 2nd and 4th cuttings and at the late-bud, 10% bloom, and 50% bloom stages of maturity within each cutting in 1989. Following mowing, the alfalfa was wilted in the windrow for 5 to 6 hours prior to precision chopping.
Effect of silage additives on the microbial succession and fermentation process of alfalfa and whole-plant maize silages
Authors: Bolsen K. K. , Brent B. E. , Lin Chunjian 
Published: June 2019

Alfalfa is recognized as more difficult to ensile than maize. Typically, multiple alfalfa cuttings are harvested at various stages of maturity, and numerous maize hybrids that vary in their nutritive value are used for silage production in North America. The objective of these studies was to determine the effects of commercial bacterial inoculant and water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) additions on the microbial succession and silage fermentation process of two cuttings of alfalfa and three whole-plant maize hybrids.In 1989, second and fourth cuttings of alfalfa were mowed and swathed at the late-bud, 10% bloom, and 50% bloom stages of maturity within each cutting and wilted in the windrow for 5 to 6 hours prior to precision chopping. Three maize hybrids (Pioneer 3377, 3379, and 3389) were grown under irrigation in 1989 and harvested at the two-third milk line of kernel maturity.
The effect of pre-mating shearing on lambing rate in ewe lambs and subsequent lamb performance
Authors: Pickard N , Johnson P N 
Published: June 2019

Increasing the number of lambs reared when breeding from ewe lambs in a lowland situation usually leads to improved profitability. The effect of pre-mating shearing on lambing rate, lamb birthweights and their subsequent growth rates was evaluated.Two hundred and twenty (Blue-faced Leicester x Swaledale) ewe lambs were purchased in early mid-September over a period of 3 years (1988-90). They were offered 225 g of whole barley per head daily until housing in early January. Half of each intake was shorn approximately 7 days after arrival and on average 31 days prior to joining with entire Suffolk rams. Ewe lambs from both treatments were run together as one group and remained with the rams for three cycles.
The effect of providing a creep feed with or without a coccidiostat to march born lambs kept at high stocking rates
Authors: Brown D.C , Thomas E.M. 
Published: June 2019

Feeding straw as the only roughage to housed ewes during the winter is gaining in popularity. This practice requires new grazing techniques because silage aftermaths might not be available in the summer to reduce stocking rates as grazing demands increase. It has been shown that set stocking ewes at either 22 or 30 ewes/ha and feeding a creep feed to the lambs ensured that all lambs were sold by August and gross margins/ha were increased (Brown, 1986). However, at these high stocking rates coccidiosis was a problem.222 Mule ewes with their Suffolk or Polled Dorset cross lambs were divided into 6 similar groups. Each group were set stocked in a 1.4 ha plot so that 31 ewes with 57 lambs grazed at 22 ewes/ha, and 43 ewes with 79 lambs grazed at 30 ewes/ha.
Offering barley straw to lambs near weaning as a means of increasing their subsequent readiness to eat straw
Authors: Odoi F.N.A. , Owen E. 
Published: June 2019

Sheep housed after grazing and offered straw as a feed show reluctance to eat for several days. Evidence exists to indicate that eating habits can be manipulated through a learning process, especially if manipulation occurs pre-weaning. Australian research by Arnold and Mailer (1977) with unpalatable pastures, and Green, Elwin, Mottershead, Keogh and Lynch (1984) with whole cereal grain, showed that sheep exposed to these feeds early in life were more willing to accept the feeds later in life than others not exposed.The present experiment investigated whether this observation was applicable to lambs exposed to a poor quality roughage like barley straw.
Strategies to minimize helminth challenge to summer born lambs grazing clover rich swards on an organic management system
Authors: Mitchell Linda M , King Margaret E , Halliday G , Younie D 
Published: June 2019

Clean grazing systems for sheep have been developed to minimize helminth challenge to susceptible lambs. Provision of clean grazing relies upon effective control of overwintering helminth infection on pasture and particularly in the post parturient ewe. During early lactation ewes immuno-competence is reduced resulting in the excretion of helminth eggs for approximately six weeks post lambing (Thomas, 1973). Control of this source of infection may be achieved by strategic anthelmintic administration while overwintering pasture infection may be avoided by use of pasture which has not carried sheep in the previous year.Prophylactic anthelmintic administration is unacceptable under an organic management system and consequently alternative strategies must be sought to eliminate the ewe as a source of infection. The objective of the present study was to evaluate strategic transfer of ewes and lambs to a silage aftermath as a means of minimizing helminth challenge to susceptible lambs.
Distillers draff and forage rape as supplements for store lambs grazing swedes in situ
Authors: Mitchell Linda M , King Margaret E 
Published: June 2019

Cereals are traditionally used as a supplement for store lambs grazing swedes in situ. However Dingwall, Vipond, Brown and Hunter (1989) demonstrated superior lamb growth and slaughter characteristics when soya was used as an alternative supplement to barley. It is thought that under the unusual conditions of high rumen turnover rate and rapid fermentation associated with root feeding a rumen degradable protein to metabolizable energy ratio (RDP:ME) of 10 to 12:1 may be more appropriate than the 7.8:1 normally found in ruminant diets.There may be practical problems associated with feeding soya to lambs outdoors and specialized soya based pellets have been developed. Both soya and soya pellets are relatively expensive and farmers may seek to enhance store lamb growth using cheaper alternative protein sources. The objective of the study reported here was to evaluate distillers draff and forage rape as supplements for store lambs grazing swedes in situ.
Growth of lambs given different allowances of digestible crude protein and metabolisable energy
Authors: Cropper M.R. , Poppi D.P. , Nicol A.M. 
Published: June 2019

In a market where high levels of fat on lamb carcases are not favoured, the supposition that a lamb, given adequate feeding, will grow protein preferentially to gaining lipid, holds interest. However, this idea runs counter to the evidence that body composition is not manipulable in sheep. Therefore, an experiment was undertaken to implement extreme treatments of protein and energy supply to determine to what extent the contrasting views on body composition changes in growing lambs are justified.Seventy-two Coopworth ram lambs (mean liveweight, (LW) 30.4, s.d. 1.1 kg) were given one of the three feeds of different digestible crude protein (DCP) content at one of three allowances (ad libitum (AL), 1.2 (H) or 0.8 (L) kg/day). The feeds (H, M and L) were formulated as shown in Table 1. Feed M was a mixture of 0.55 Feed H and 0.45 Feed M. The proximate composition, measured DCP and estimated metabolisable energy (ME) content of the feeds is given in Table 1. ALH and ALM lambs were also choice-fed with ad libitum access to feed L. 8 lambs at the start of the experiment and 4 lambs per treatment at 6 and 12 weeks were slaughtered for analysis of body protein (PR), lipid (LP) and wool protein (WP).
Suckling behaviour and the transfer of immunoglobulins in neonatal lambs
Authors: Haresign W. , Metheringham J.L. , Griffiths A.J. 
Published: June 2019

The passive transfer of immunoglobulins from colostrum is essential to protect neonatal lambs against infection until their own immune defense systems are fully developed. Adequate intakes of immunoglobulins must be achieved within the first 24h after birth because thereafter “gut closure” precludes any further antibody uptake. The degree of protection afforded is likely to be influenced by suckling frequency, colostrum intake and colostrum immunoglobulin concentrations. Two studies were therefore undertaken, the first to determine the extent of variation in colostrum IgG concentrations in a typical commercial flock of sheep, and the second to investigate the inter-relationships between suckling behaviour and IgG transfer in neonatal lambs.Experiment 1. Colostrum samples were taken from both the left and right teats of 55 twin bearing Mule ewes immediately after lambing in January, and their IgG concentrations determined.Experiment 2. The IgG content was measured in colostrum samples collected from both the left and right teats of 10 twin bearing Mule ewes immediately after lambing in March. In addition, a 10ml blood sample was also collected from the jugular vein of each lamb 36h after birth and subjected to IgG analysis.
Eating quality evaluation of meat from the crossbred lamb progeny of three terminal sire breeds
Authors: Ellis M. , Webster G.M. , Brown I. , Merrell B.G. 
Published: June 2019

Consumer acceptability of lamb is ultimately determined by the eating quality of the meat. This paper reports on the eating quality evaluation of lean samples obtained from carcasses of crossbred lambs sired by Suffolk, Texel and Charollais rams.The lambs used in this study were part of a larger experiment to compare the growth performance and carcass quality of lambs sired by rams of the Suffolk, Texel and Charollais breeds (Merrell, Webster and Ellis, 1990: BSAP Occasional Publication No. 14, pp. 169-172).An upland flock of approximately 350 Mule (Bluefaced Leicester ♂ x Scottish Blackface ♀) was used to produce the lambs. Eight unrelated rams of each of the three sire breeds were mated to the ewes over two years (4 rams per breed per year). Their crossbred progeny were selected for slaughter when it was estimated that they would produce carcasses of Meat and Livestock Commission fat class 2 to 3L. All lambs had been multiple-born and reared as twins.
Mature body composition of the Gallego sheep breed of Galicia (north-west Spain)
Authors: Cropper M. R. , Diaz N. 
Published: June 2019

Taylor (1980) indicated the importance of mature size in the description of animals and its usefulness for standardising growth parameters. The mature size and body composition of the Gallego breed, a small meat-producing type first described by Mason (1967), have never been estimated under defined management conditions. Therefore, using the scaling rules and results of Thonney, Taylor, Murray and McClelland (1987) as a guide, a study was made to determine whether the reputation of Gallego lambs for producing lean carcases was borne out in the composition of mature animals.Twenty-one ewes (mean liveweight, LW, 32.7, sd 5.4 kg) and eight rams (LW 47.6, sd 8.6 kg) were selected as cast animals on the basis of age ( >4 years), body condition score (BCS, >1.75), health and teeth status and group-fed on concentrate (180 g crude protein/ kg dry-matter) and hay ad libitum. LW was measured fortnightly. When all animals had a LW and BCS which were stable for 2 months, 3 subgroups were slaughtered monthly. Weights of wool, body organs and hot carcase (HC) were recorded. Dissection of the cold carcase (CC) into commercial joints (Cabrero Poveda, 1984) and total lean, bone and fat.
Effect of breed on lipid metabolism in growing-fattening bulls. 1. plasma lipid metabolism
Authors: Clinquart A. , Van Eenaeme C. , Istasse L. , Dufrasne I. , Gielen M. , Bienfait J.M. 
Published: June 2019

The Holstein and Belgian Blue double muscle type (BBDM) are two cattle breeds extremely different in extent of muscle proportion (Istasse, Van Eenaeme, Evrard, Gabriel, Baldwin, Maghuin-Rogister and Bienfait, 1990). In BBDM, the proportions of lean meat and fat are high and low respectively. Opposite trends are found in Holstein, the Belgian Blue dual purpose type (BBDP) being intermediate. This experiment was carried out to compare lipid metabolism in these 3 breeds.Four bulls of these 3 breeds were used in a fattening trial. The initial weight was 340 kg. They were given a sugar beet pulp based diet supplemented with cereals, by-products and protein sources or vegetable origin. After a 145 days fattening period the final weight was 540 kg. Non esterified fatty acid (NEFA), triglycerides (TG) and cholesterol concentrations in the plasma were measured every 4 weeks during the fattening period. The plasma fatty acid composition was determined by gas chromatography. The 7, 8 and 9 ribs were removed at slaughter and cholesterol concentrations were measured in Longissimus Dorsi samples.
The nutritive value of varieties of wheat and barley straw
Authors: Hart M J , Kay M , Ørskov E R 
Published: June 2019

The utilization of cereal straws are limited by their low nutritive value and bulkiness which prevents ruminants from consuming sufficient to meet their nutrient requirements. However, recently there has been interest in furthering the use of cereal straws as food for ruminants. The main objective of the present study was to provide information on the degradability of straw for cereal varieties recently included on the SAC recommended lists. A further objective was to examine the between farm variation in degradability of straw for individual cereal varieties and to assess how this may be affected by management practices in the field.Forty two samples of straw comprising three varieties of winter wheat, four varieties of winter barley and seven varieties of spring barley straw were collected from farms in and around the North East of Scotland. The potential degradabilities of the straw was measured using three different techniques; 1) the nylon bag technique (0rskov, 1985); 2) in vitro analysis, and 3) near infra red analysis (NIR).