Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-skm99 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T15:21:22.366Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The estimation of the nutritive value of feeds as energy sources for ruminants and the derivation of feeding systems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

K. L. Blaxter  and
A. W. Boyne
K. L. Blaxter
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
A. W. Boyne
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The results of 80 calorimetric experiments with sheep and cattle, mostly conducted in Scotland, were analysed using a generalization of the Mitscherlich equation R = B(l–exp(–pG))–l, where R is daily energy retention and G daily gross energy intake, both scaled by dividing by the fasting metabolism. The relations between gross energy and metabolizable energy were also examined. Methods of fitting the Mitscherlich equation and the errors associated with it are presented.

It is shown that the gross energy of the organic matter of feed can be estimated from proximate principles with an error of ±2·3% (coefficient of variation) and that provided different classes of feed are distinguished, the metabolizable energy of organic matter can be estimated from gross energy and crude fibre content with an error of ±6·9%. Parameters of the primary equation made with cattle agreed with those made with sheep and there was no evidence of non-proportionality of responses on substitution of feeds in mixtures.

The efficiency of utilization of gross energy for maintenance and for body gain of energy was related to the metabolizability of gross energy and, in addition, to fibre or to protein content. Prediction equations are presented which describe these relationships.

It is shown that the primary equation can be manipulated to express a number of biological concepts and that its two parameters B and p can be simply derived from estimates of the two efficiency terms for maintenance and production.

The results are discussed in relation to the design of feeding systems for ruminant animals and to the derivation of optima in their feeding.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 90 , Issue 1 , February 1978 , pp. 47 - 68
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1978

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

Alderman, G., Morgan, D. E. & Lessells, W. J. (1970). A comparison of live weight gains in beef cattle with values predicted from energy intakes measured as starch equivalents or metabolizable energy. In Energy Metabolism of Farm Animals (ed. Schürch, A. and Wenk, C.), pp. 81–4. EAAP Publication No. 13.Google Scholar
ARC (1965). The Nutrient Requirements of Farm Livestock. No. 2: Ruminants. London: ARC.Google Scholar
Armstrong, D. G. (1964). The evaluation of artificially dried grass as a source of energy for sheep. II. The energy value of cocksfoot, timothy and two strains of rye-grass at varying stages of maturity. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 62, 399–416.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bateman, J. V. & Blaxter, K. L. (1964). The utilization of the energy of artificially dried lucerne. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 63, 129–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blaxter, K. L. (1962). The Energy Metabolism of Ruminants. 1st edition. London: Hutchinson.Google Scholar
Blaxter, K. L. (1964). Utilization of the metabolizable energy of grass. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 23, 62–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blaxter, K. L. (1967). Techniques in energy metabolism studies and their limitations. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 26, 86–96.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blaxter, K. L. (1968). The effect of the dietary energy supply on growth. Proceedings of the Fourteenth Easter School in Agricultural Science, University of Nottingham, pp. 329–44.Google Scholar
Blaxter, K. L. (1974). Metabolizable energy and feeding systems for ruminants. Nutrition Conference for Feed Manufacturers No. 7 (ed. Swan, H. and Lewis, D.), pp. 3–26. London: Butterworths.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blaxter, K. L. & Boyne, A. W. (1970). A new method of expressing the nutritive value of feeds as sources of energy. In Energy Metabolism of Farm Animals (ed. Schurch, A. and Wenk, C.), pp. 9–13. EAAP Publication No. 13.Google Scholar
Blaxter, K. L., Clapperton, J. L. & Wainman, F. W. (1966). Utilization of the energy and protein of the same diet by cattle of different ages. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 67, 67–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blaxter, K. L. & Graham, N. McC. (1955). Plane of nutrition and starch equivalents. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 46, 292–306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blaxter, K. L. & Graham, N. McC. (1956). The effect of the grinding and cubing process on the utilization of the energy of dried grass. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 47, 207–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blaxter, K. L. & Wainman, F. W. (1961). The utilization of food by sheep and cattle. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 57, 419–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blaxter, K. L. & Wainman, F. W. (1964). The utilization of the energy of different rations by sheep and cattle for maintenance and for fattening. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 63, 113–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blaxter, K. L., Wainman, F. W., Dewey, P. J. S., Davidson, J., Denerley, H. & Gunn, J. B. (1971). The effects of nitrogenous fertilizer on the nutritive value of artificially dried grass. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 76, 307–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blaxter, K. L., Wainman, F. W. & Smith, J. S. (1970). Nutritive value of mixtures of dried grass and barley as determined by indirect calorimetry. Animal Production 12, 369–70.Google Scholar
Blaxter, K. L. & Wilson, R. S. (1963). The assessment of a crop husbandry technique in terms of animal production. Animal Production 5, 27–42.Google Scholar
Brody, S. (1945). Bioenergetics and Growth. New York: Reinhold Publishing Corporation.Google Scholar
Clancy, M. J. & Wilson, R. K. (1966). Development and application of a new method for predicting the digestibility and intake of herbage samples. Proceedings of the Xth International Grassland Conference, Helsinki, pp. 445–53.Google Scholar
Corbett, J. L., Langlands, J. P., McDonald, I. & Pullar, J. D. (1966). Comparison by direct animal calorimetry of the net energy values of an early and a late season growth of herbage. Animal Production 8, 13–27.Google Scholar
DAFS (1976). Rowett Research Institute Feedingstuffs Evaluation Unit First Report 1975. Edinburgh: HMSO.Google Scholar
Forbes, E. B., Braman, W. W. & Kriss, M. (1928). The energy metabolism of cattle in relation to the plane of nutrition. Journal of Agricultural Research 37, 253–300.Google Scholar
Forbes, E. B., Braman, W. W., Kriss, M., Swift, R. W., French, R. B., Smythe, C. V., Williams, P. S. & Williams, H. H. (1930). Further studies of the energy metabolism of cattle in relation to the plane of nutrition. Journal of Agricultural Research 40, 37–78.Google Scholar
Graham, N. McC. (1964). Utilization by fattening sheep of the energy and nitrogen in fresh herbage and in hay made from it. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 15, 974–81.Google Scholar
Graham, N. McC. (1967). Effects of feeding frequency on energy and nitrogen balance in sheep given a ground pelleted diet. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 18, 467–83.Google Scholar
Graham, N. McC., Wainman, F. W., Blaxter, K. L. & Armstrong, D. G. (1959). Environmental temperature, energy metabolism and heat regulation in sheep. 1. Energy metabolism in closely clipped sheep. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 52, 13–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hashizume, T., Kaishio, Y., Ambo, S., Morimoto, H., Masabuchi, T., Abe, M., Horii, S., Tanaka, K., Hamada, T. & Takahashi, S. (1962). Metabolism of matter and energy in cattle. III. On the maintenance requirement of energy and protein for Japanese black cattle and Holstein breed. (Translated title from Japanese.) Bulletin of the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Chiba, Japan 21, 213–311.Google Scholar
Hoffmann, L., Schiemann, R. & Nehring, K. (1962). Die Verwertung reiner Nährstoffe. 3. Versuche mit Ochsen und Hammeln. Archiv für Tierernährung 11, 337–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maff, Dafs & Dani (1975). Energy allowances and feeding systems for ruminants. Technical Bulletin No. 33. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Marston, H. R. (1948). Energy transactions in sheep. Australian Journal of Scientific Research, Series B. 1, 93–129.Google Scholar
Mitchell, H. H. & Hamilton, T. S. (1941). The utilization by calves of the energy contained in balanced rations composed of combinations of different feeds. Journal of Nutrition 22, 541–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mitchell, H. H., Hamilton, T. S., McClure, F. J., Haines, W. T., Beadles, J. R. & Morris, H. P. (1932). The effect of the amount of feed consumed by cattle on the utilization of its energy content. Journal of Agricultural Research 45, 163–91.Google Scholar
Macrae, J. C. & Armstrong, D. G. (1968). Enzyme method for determination of a linked glucose polymers in biological materials. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 19, 578–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schiemann, R. (1958). Kritische Betrachtungen über die Entwicklung der Stärkewertlehre Oscar Kellners. Wissenschaftliche Abhandlunger der Deutschen Ahademie der Landwirtschaftswissenschaften zu Berlin, No. 31.Google Scholar
Schiemann, R., Nehring, K., Hoffmann, L., Jentsch, W. & Chudy, A. (1971). Energetische Futterbewertung und Energienormen. Berlin: Deutsche Landwirtschaffcverlag.Google Scholar
Van Soest, P. J. & Wine, R. H. (1967). Use of detergents in the analysis of fibrous feeds. IV. Determination of plant cell wall constituents. Journal of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists 50, 50–5.Google Scholar
Wainman, F. W. & Blaxter, K. L. (1972). The effect of grinding and pelleting on the nutritive value of poor quality roughages for sheep. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 79, 435–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wainman, F. W., Blaxter, K. L. & Pullar, J. D. (1970). The nutritive value for ruminants of a complete processed diet for ruminants based on barley straw. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 74, 311–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wainman, F. W., Blaxter, K. L. & Smith, J. S. (1972). The utilization of the energy of artificially dried grass prepared in different ways. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 78, 441–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wiegner, G. & Ghoneim, A. (1930). Uber die Formulierung der Futterwirkung. Tiererndhrung 2, 193–232.Google Scholar
Williams, E. J. (1959). Regression Analysis. New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc.Google Scholar