bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A comparison of different breeds and crosses from the suckler herd 1. Live-weight growth and efficiency of food utilization
Authors: Southgate J. R. , Cook G. L. , Kempster A. J. 
Published: September 2010

Live-weight growth and efficiency of food utilization of purebred Galloway, Luing and Welsh Black steers, and crossbred steers out of Blue-Grey and Hereford × Friesian dams by Aberdeen-Angus, Charolais, Devon, Hereford, Limousin, Lincoln Red, Simmental, South Devon and Sussex sires, were examined in two suckled calf fattening systems. In one system, autumn-born calves were purchased at 1 year of age and fattened during their second winter; the other system involved late winter-born calves, which were purchased at 7 months of age, overwintered on a cheap growing diet and fattened during their second summer. The trial involved a total of 1430 cattle and extended over 5 years (winter system) and 6 years (summer system).Cattle were slaughtered as close as possible to a standard carcass subcutaneous fat concentration.The data for crossbred and purebred cattle were analysed separately within the fattening system using least squares models, which included effects for year, sire breed and dam breed, and with regression on the age at beginning of the trial and carcass subcutaneous fat concentration estimated by visual appraisal.Breed differences in live weight at slaughter were similar to those recorded in the Meat and Livestock Commission's on-farm recording work. Among crossbreds, the larger sire breeds consumed more food per day, generally grew faster and were older at slaughter.They did not differ significantly in the efficiency with which food was converted into live-weight gain. Among the purebreds, the Luing had a relatively high daily food intake in relation to its growth rate and, together with the Welsh Black in the summer fattening system, was less efficient than the Galloway (P<0·05).
Ovulation rate of corriedale ewes at Bahía Blanca, Argentina
Authors: Irazoqui H. , Menvielle E. E. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTAn experiment has been carried out at Bahia Blanca to estimate the trend in ovulation rate throughout the year shown by Corriedale ewes of similar live weight in the south-west district of the Argentinian pampa.Five groups of 16 animals were each subjected to two 20-day observation periods and the 10 observation periods in the experiment were evenly spaced within a year.The proportion of ewes showing oestrus and ovulation (OO), the frequency of twin ovulations (TO) and, hence, ovulation rate (OR) were estimated for each period by using vasectomized rams and performing laparatomies.A significant and periodic relationship was found between each trait and the number of days elapsed from the longest day (×). In turn, changes in the values of ×, arising from the progress of the experiment, were to some extent associated with changes in nutrition and surgical interference. However, it was concluded that these factors could not have affected the similar and remarkable seasonality shown by each trait in this study, and that this seasonality was mainly associated with differences in the natural light regime to which the ewes were exposed before and during their corresponding observation periods.The predicted maximum values for each parameter were reached 1 month before the shortest day. Prior to and after this date both OO and TO declined, so that the predicted OR values became zero for a period of approximately 2 months before the longest day
The effect of changing the physical form of roughage on the performance of the early-weaned calf
Authors: Thomas Delana B. , Hinks C. E. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTAn experiment was conducted using two batches of 40 purchased male Hereford × Friesian calves, reared conventionally with weaning after 5 weeks. Five diets were offered ad libitum for 9 weeks: a basic concentrate pellet A offered alone, or with additional chopped or long straw; a diet incorporating 35 g sodium bicarbonate per kg in the basic pellet; and a complete diet with the inclusion of 176g chopped straw (20 mm) per kg in the concentrate pellet.Concentrate intakes and live-weight gains tended to increase with voluntary intake of roughage and the inclusion of buffer in the diet; giving a complete diet, however, gave the best results, with total intake increased to 1 -6 of that for diet A and also significantly increased weight gains.Rumen acidity was decreased by roughage consumption or by buffer inclusion in the diet. Increasing roughage consumption tended to promote an increase in the molar proportions of acetic and butyric acids in the rumen liquor, and a decrease in the molar proportion of propionic acid.Results suggested that chopping the roughage into 20-mm lengths did not obviously alter the rumen-buffering characteristics of long roughage, provided that a greater quantity was included in chopped form.
Effects of double suckling at pasture 1. Cow performance
Authors: Nicoll G. B. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTTwo experiments were conducted to compare the effects of single and double suckling on the performance of Hereford × Friesian and Friesian cows at pasture. Double-suckled cows each fostered a Friesian male calf in addition to their own calf. Cows were housed from calving to turnout for 57 and 35 days in experiments 1 and 2 respectively, with corresponding grazing seasons lasting 152 and 146 days. During the grazing season the two suckling treatments were stocked on a series of adjacent plots of equal area, with the occupancy of each plot pair being reversed daily. Live weights, milk yields, herbage intakes, and daylight grazing times and nursing activities were recorded on three occasions 28 days apart.Double-suckled cows lost significantly more weight than single-suckled cows from calving to turnout in both experiments (39·5 v. 3·3 kg and 45·7 v. 20·6 kg), gained more weight from turnout to weaning in experiment 1 (58·4 v. 23·3 kg) but gained less in experiment 2 (17·5 v. 32·3 kg). Double-suckled cows produced significantly more milk than single-suckled cows: 10·1 v. 8·3 and 13·5 v. 9 1 kg/day in experiments 1 and 2 respectively. Differences in daily milk yield in experiment 2 were apparent 28 days after calving.Suckling treatments did not influence herbage intakes or daylight grazing times and nursing frequencies. Mean nursing intensities were 1·0 calves per single-suckled cow, compared with 1·8 calves (experiment 1) and 2·2 calves (experiment 2) per double-suckled cow. Double-suckled cows nursed significantly more ‘foreign’ calves than single-suckled cows. Total calf weight at weaning from double-suckled cows in experiments 1 and 2 was respectively 364·6 and 344·4 kg, which was 1·64 of the corresponding weights weaned by single-suckled cows (221·1 and 209·4 kg).
A note on the effect of monensin when added to diets high in sodium hydroxide-treated straw given to cattle
Authors: Holzer Z. , Levy D. , Samuel V. , Drori D. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTFour groups of 12 beef heifers were each given either straw treated with 35 g sodium hydroxide per kg (TS) or untreated straw (US) and were either supplemented with 35 mg monensin per kg (Ms) or not supplemented (Ns). The diet consisted of approximately 0·40 of a concentrate mixture that contained 12·8 MJ metabolizable energy and 243 g crude protein per kg dry matter, and 0·60 straw. Feeding was ad libitum. The average initial weight of the heifers was 207·2 kg and the experiment lasted 86 days.The average dry matter consumed was 2·3g/kg live weight. Average daily gain (±s.e.) was 505±31·6, 371±33·8, 380±26·2 and 257±32·7g/day for treatment groups TS-Ms, TS-Ns, US-Ms and US-Ns, respectively. These findings indicate that monensin may counteract some ill-effects of diets high in sodium hydroxide-treated straw and thus further research is warranted.
The influence of high food levels in early pregnancy on embryo survival in multiparous sows
Authors: Toplis P. , Ginesi M. F. J. , Wrathall A. E. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTThirty-eight multiparous sows were used to ascertain whether a high (4 kg/day), compared with a low (2 kg/day) food level affected early embryonic survival. To avoid any effect on ovulation rate the treatments were imposed 3 days after mating (2 days after presumed ovulation) and continued until the sows were killed 30 days after mating. Sows which were given the high food level gained more than twice as much body weight as those on the low food level, but ovulation rates, embryo numbers, embryo body sizes and embryo survival rates were similar for both feeding levels. It is concluded that, if necessary, multiparous sows may be fed higher than normal food levels in early pregnancy without prejudice to embryonic survival.
Turnips with chemically-treated straw for beef production. 1. The effects on the growth of steers
Authors: Macdearmid A. , Williams P. E. V. , Innes G. M. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTA growth trial lasting 84 days and digestibility trials were carried out with Hereford × Friesian steers weighing initially 360 kg. Daily dry-matter intakes (kg) of 32 steers offered turnips with blood meal (250 g/day) and straw treated with sodium hydroxide (SP), urea (UP), ammonia (AP) or untreated (CP), and of a further eight steers offered turnips and ammonia-treated straw without a supplement of blood meal (A) were 6·5 (SP), 6·0 (UP), 6·6 (AP), 5·9 (CP) and 6·3 (A); live-weight gains (kg/day) were 0·69, 0·58, 0·60, 0·37 and 0·39 respectively. The non-protein nitrogen intake of steers on treatments SP and CP were matched to those on treatments AP, A and UP by the addition of urea. Coefficients of apparent straw organic matter digestibility were 0·629 (SP), 0·531 (UP), 0·578 (AP), 0·446 (CP) and 0·569 (A). Overall food intakes on all treatments were low initially (88 g/kg W0·73) and declined further to 78 g/kg W0·73. Live-weight gains also were low; those of steers given diets CP and A were lower (P< 0·001) than gains of steers on other treatments.Improvements in the apparent digestibility of straw were obtained by chemical treatment but all values, except that of the UP group, were low. The supplementation of ammonia-treated straw with blood meal (AP) produced a higher (P< 0·001) growth rate in steers compared with that of steers receiving ammonia-treated straw alone (A). The low mean pH (6·48) and ammonia concentration (9 mg/100 ml) of rumen liquor sampled during the growth trial suggest that the poor growth rates and low food intake of cattle in this trial may be associated with the rapid release of soluble sugars from turnips given only once daily.
The effects of dietary protein concentration on the lactational performance of the rabbit
Authors: Partridge G. G. , Allan S. J. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTAn experiment was performed to examine the effects of feeding four concentrations of crude protein in the diet to lactating rabbits. Diets A, B, C and D contained 173, 181, 224 and 243 g crude protein per kg dry matter respectively. Each diet was offered at one of two feeding levels: H (330 g/day) or L (280 g/day) with three replicates in each of the eight treatment groups. Milk production and nitrogen balance were measured over a 28-day lactation.Although dry-matter intakes on feeding level H were significantly higher than those on feeding level L the difference diminished as the crude protein concentration decreased. The effect of crude protein intake on doe milk production was estimated therefore by regression analysis with digestible energy intake as a covariate. Both crude protein intake and digestible energy intake alone had significant effects (P < 0·001) on daily milk production and there was also a significant effect (P < 0·05) of crude protein intake after fitting digestible energy intake. Overall the equation was:Milk production (g/day) =17·61 + 0·985 crude protein intake (g/day) + 30·3 digestible energy intake (MJ/day).(±0·448) (±14·8)The relationship between digested nitrogen and nitrogen output as milk was also examined by regression analysis with digestible energy intake as a covariate. This equation was:Nitrogen output in milk (g/day) =0·438 + 0·164 digested nitrogen (g/day) + 0·572 digestible energy intake (MJ/day).(±0·068) (±0·294)The practical implications of feeding high levels of crude protein in the diet to increase milk production and pup weaning weight are discussed.
A note on the growth and food consumption of crossbred lambs of five sire breeds
Authors: Woolliams J. A. , Wiener G. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTLambs, 8 weeks of age, the offspring of sires of the Scottish Blackface, East Friesland, Finnish Landrace, Suffolk and Texel breeds mated to Scottish Blackface females as a common maternal breed were fed ad libitum on a concentrate containing barley and fish meal for 14 weeks. Live weight and food intake were measured at intervals of 2 weeks.Live-weight gain varied between sire breeds, Suffolk crosses having the greatest growth rate and the Blackface lambs the least, but there were no significant differences in their food conversion ratios. Food intakes were compared with those predicted by two methods. When the only criteria for prediction were live weight and the metabolizability of the diet the prediction was poor, whereas very accurate agreement was found when the criteria for prediction included consideration of the changes in energy efficiency with food intake and with maturity.
A note on the theoretical relation between the fractions of maturity of organs and of the whole animal
Authors: Parks J. R. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTA general parabola constrained to pass through points (0,0) and (1,1) yields a linear one parameter (q) function which can be used to relate the fraction of maturity of organs or masses of tissue to the fraction of maturity of the whole animal. This is an empirical approach. It is often preferable to derive a function from a theory of the phenomenon under study. A theory of feeding and growth of animals is used to derive a non-linear one parameter (k) function which can be used to study the same data to which the linear q-function is applicable. The parameter, k is directly proportional to the fraction of total nutrients consumed by the animal which is allocated to the organ as the animal ages. If the fraction of nutrient allocated remains constant, the parameter k is constant and has the same properties as the parameter q. However there is nothing in the theory which constrains k to be constant, therefore, the q-function is of more general use than the q-function in the study of the relationship of the fraction of maturity of organs to that of the whole animal. Two cases are presented to illustrate this generality.
A comparison of live animal measurements for selecting lean beef sires
Authors: Simm G. , Alxiston J. C. , Sutherland R. A. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTThe value of several live animal measurements for predicting carcass lean content was assessed on 97 Hereford bulls. The bulls were from a series of performance tests extending over a period of 4 years. The measurements made were live weight, ‘Weighband’ estimate of live weight, skin-fold thickness at the 13th rib, anal-fold thickness and Danscanner and Scanogram ultrasonic fat area. All measurements, except anal-fold thickness, showed satisfactory repeatability from one day to the next (0·45 to 1·00). Ultrasonic measurements showed the highest correlations with carcass lean content (0·22 to 0·66; corresponding residual s.d.'s, 13·87 and 26·46 g/kg). The most precise prediction of lean content was achieved with live weight and ultrasonic measurements in a multiple regression. The precision achieved and best anatomical sites for ultrasonic measurement varied with the group of bulls (highest R2 values 0·61 to 0·77; corresponding residual s.d. 's, 25·75 and 22·47 g/kg). The Scanogram machine produced more repeatable results than the Danscanner. When compared on the same animals Scanogram measurements gave slightly more precise prediction of carcass lean content than Danscanner measurements. Over all groups of bulls the two machines produced results of similar accuracy. Accounting for precision of estimating carcass lean content, response to selection for leanness was estimated to be 0·0034 to 0·0049 of the mean per annum for bulls of about 400 or 500 days of age.
An evaluation of tail paint as an aid or alternative to oestrus detection
Authors: Ducker M. J. , Haggett Rosemary A. , Fisher W. J. , Bloomfield Glenys A. , Morant S. V. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTOne hundred Friesian heifers were tail-painted between 14 and 21 days after calving. Once a week the paint strip was renewed if any paint had been removed. Over the whole period of observation the ovulation detection rate by definite signs of oestrus was high (0·79), whilst the proportion of silent ovulations detected by tail paint removal was low (0·10). In addition, tail paint was not removed on 0·28 of the occasions when definite oestrus with ovulation occurred and on 0·26 of the occasions when all the paint was removed it was not associated with any reproductive event. In practice, the critical time for tail paint to be effective is during the service period. Again, tail paint identified fewer (P < 0·001) ovulations than definite signs of oestrus (0·66) and had a significantly higher false positive rate (P < 0·001). Month of calving did not affect these results but the accuracy of tail paint declined as the season progressed (P < 0·001). False positive indications were not associated with individual animal characteristics. In a second trial 43 cows were tail-painted and 43 were not. There was no significant difference in the mean number of days from calving to first insemination or successful pregnancy between the two groups. It is concluded that in these trials tail paint was not an effective or reliable aid or alternative to oestrus detection.
Further studies on the value of liquid skimmed milk as a protein source for growning pigs
Authors: Mitchell K. G. , Partridge I. G. , Barber R. S. , Pittman R. J. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACT1. A trial was carried out with 96 purebred Large White and Landrace pigs to assess the optimum content of skimmed milk in diets given from 20 to 90 kg.2. Pigs on treatment 1 (control) received a barley and soya bean diet providing 12·9 MJ digestible energy per kg and 161 g crude protein per kg until they reached 54 kg and 144 g crude protein per kg thereafter. Those on treatments 2 to 4 received 3·5, 4·5 and 5·75 1 skimmed milk per day, respectively, from 28 kg live weight, after a gradual increase from 2·0 I/day at 20 kg; this was given with a basal barley diet which provided 12·9 MJ digestible energy per kg and 111 g crude protein per kg. All diets were given according to scales to permit all pigs equal daily intakes of digestible energy. Treatments 1 and 2 were approximately isonitrogenous.3. In order of treatment, average daily gains (g) were 658, 712, 743 and 737 (s.e. of difference, 15) and food: gain ratios were 3·06, 2·73, 2·63 and 2·60 (s.e. of difference, 0·05). There were no important treatment effects on linear carcass measurements.4. It appeared that lysine supply was a major determinant of the results obtained.5. The greatest daily gains were achieved when a minimum of 4·5 1 of skimmed milk was given daily with the basal diet; this approximates to an average skimmed milk: meal ratio of 2·8 I/kg.
A note on the comparison of two dissection methods used routinely in britain for beef carcass evaluation
Authors: Wood J. D. , Bayntun J. A. , Kempster A. J. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTThe dissection methods used at the ARC Meat Research Institute, Langford (MRI) and by the Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC) for beef carcass evaluation were compared.When account was taken of small differences in the way tissues are defined in the two methods, they gave essentially the same results for the important aspects of carcass composition. Twenty carcasses with 60 to 120 g subcutaneous fat per kg side weight were selected from those in the serial slaughter phase of the MLC's beef breed evaluation programme. The cattle had been slaughtered and dressed at a commercial abattoir on the same site as the MLC's Central Carcass Evaluation Unit, Blisworth. The left sides were dissected by the MLC and the right sides at the MRI after being taken there as quarters (which resulted in a greater evaporative weight loss). Mean values for lean, bone, intermuscular fat and subcutaneous fat (as g/kg in the side) did not differ significantly between the methods and the slopes of the regressions of MRI on MLC proportionate composition values were not significantly different from 1·0.
A selection index for dairy cows
Authors: Hill W. G. , Swanson G. J. T. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTThe rationale for a method of computing selection indices for dairy cows is outlined. It uses predicted transmitting abilities of sires from a best linear unbiased prediction or similar method of evaluation together with mean transmitting abilities (cow indices) of dams to estimate herd genetic levels. Indices for individual cows are computed using deviations from those of contemporaries in the herd of her sire's transmitting ability, her dam's index and her own production in each lactation.The method is being used in the UK, cow indices being expressed as transmitting abilities relative to the same fixed genetic base as for sire evaluation.
Factors affecting maintenance requirements of beef cows
Authors: Russel A. J. F. , Wright I. A. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTThe maintenance energy requirements of 29 Hereford × Friesian and 27 Blue Grey (White Shorthorn × Galloway) cows each offered one of six levels of feeding supplying between 0·5 and 1·2 likely maintenance requirements for 56 days were estimated, from regressions of daily live-weight change on energy intake, as the energy intake corresponding to zero live-weight change.There were no effects of level of intake on diet digestibility or of genotype on maintenance requirements.Maintenance requirements (M, MJ metabolizable energy per day) were shown to be determined by both live weight (LW, kg) and body condition score (C) according to the relationship: M = 0·147LW – 0·016C.LW.The estimates derived are compared with other published values and the hypothesis is advanced that maintenance requirements are likely to be more closely related to body protein mass than to body weight.The dietary energy equivalent of 1 kg loss of live weight is calculated to be 26·7 MJ and it is estimated that in non-lactating cows body tissue is used for maintenance with an efficiency of 0·77.
A note on reproductive performance and plasma progesterone level during early pregnancy of Scottish Blackface and Cheviot ewes in relation to body condition and level of nutrition prior to mating
Authors: Rhind S. M. , Gunn R. G. , Doney J. M. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTSeventy-nine Scottish Blackface and 79 North × South Country Cheviot ewes were fed to increase their mean condition score by 0·5 over periods of either 4 (M/H group) or 8 (I group) weeks prior to mating. Thereafter, they were fed a live-weight maintenance ration until they were slaughtered at 50 to 65 days after mating. Reproductive tracts were recovered, corpora lutea counted and embryos counted and examined. Plasma progesterone levels were monitored at selected times after mating. The proportion of ewes in each treatment group that were pregnant at the time of slaughter was similar (0·75 to 0·83) but there was evidence of differences in the pattern of reproductive failure with treatment. The proportion of non-pregnant ewes which had apparently been pregnant initially was 0·55 in the M/H group compared with only 0·27 in the I group. Circulating progesterone levels were not affected by premating nutritional treatments but differed with breed.