In a series of studies undertaken at Hillsborough involving both small scale and production experiments with growing cattle and dairy cattle, an inoculant based on a single strain of Lactobacillus plantarum (Ecosyl), has produced considerable benefits in terms of silage intake and animal performance. The present studies were designed to evaluate the same inoculant using difficult to ensile herbage due to the use of high rates of nitrogen application and the use of permanent pasture.

Nine silages were harvested using double chop forage harvesters from the second regrowth of three swards, namely permanent pasture which had received 100 kg N/ha (PP) and perennial ryegrass which had received either 100 (100) or 150 (150) kg N/ha. Herbages from each sward were treated with either no additive (C), formic acid (F) (2.5 1/t) (850 g/kg Add-F) or the inoculant (I) (3 1/t) (Ecosyl) (10-6C.F.U/g grass) and were ensiled in 126 mini silos of 0.7 t capacity. The silages were offered to 36 three month old Friesian entire male calves (mean initial liveweight 130 kg) in a change-over design experiment consisting of three 3 week periods.

Most commercially available silage inoculants are supplied as freeze-dried preparations of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) which are rehydrated immediately prior to application to herbage (Wilkinson, 1989). One limitation of this approach is that rehydrated bacteria are likely to be less active initially than ‘freshly cultured’ (actively growing) cells. Thus an extended lag phase may precede the period of logarithmic growth of freeze-dried inoculants. From the above argument, it follows that freshly cultured bacteria may be preferable in order to enhance activity in the initial period of ensilage.

In two experiments, firstly the principle of using freshly cultured inoculants was examined in laboratory silos followed by a scale-up of the inoculant production process to investigate the practicability of using it in an on-farm system, and examining its effect on silage composition and cattle production response.

Rabbit meat is acknowledged as having a high protein and low fat content. With current dietary advice persuading consumers to reduce their intake of fat. rabbit meat is enjoying a return to consumer popularity in Britain. Most of the major supermarket chains stock fresh-chilled rabbit portions in their largest (if not all) branches, and, over a 12-month period, they have been ordering more than can be supplied.

The typical rabbit producer starts without a background in agriculture, and this is seen as a major cause of failure, leading to supply shortages. However, the industry is changing, and a more determined, commercial, approach is emerging.

Rabbits have a rapid production cycle, and a small producer, with only 30 breeding does, could have up to 370 head of stock at any time. Livestock skill is essential, but interest is continued development of appropriate systems and techniques for commercial production in Britain is lacking.

Angora rabbits carry a mutation.which confers continuous wool growth. The use of the wool in textiles was first recorded in 1706 in the U.K. and western Europe dominated world production until the the early 20th century. China now produces 60 percent of the world's 4,000 tonne annual crop.

Genetic and nutritional improvements have led to a five-fold increase in annual yields over the last 40 years. Current commercial strains produce up to 1.5 Kg of wool per year from rabbits weighing 4 Kg. To maintain such yields requires concentrate diets with protein contents of at least 16 percent and cystine+methionine contents of 0.8 percent.

The wool may be sheared or plucked and consists of three fibre types. The wool hairs (80 percent of the fleece) are among the finest animal fibres at 8-12 microns. They have a hollow medulla which gives important properties of low density (1.23 grams per ml versus 1.3 for sheep wool) and high thermal insulation (2-3 times that of sheep wool).

There is increasing interest in the diversification of animal production systems to produce products which are not in surplus nationally. Fine fibre production from goats is one such subject area. Previous studies (e.g. Huston, 1980; Calhoun et al, 1988) in other countries have suggested that the yield and quality of mohair fibre may be influenced by nutritional factors such as protein and energy. The aim of the work reported here was to investigate the effects of differences in dietary protein and energy on body growth and yield and quality of mohair fibre produced by British Angora goats.

Twenty four male castrate British Angora goats of Australasian origin with an initial liveweight of 23.5 kg were used in a 112 day study. The goats were housed in individual pens and introduced to pelleted diets over a period of three weeks. The animals were allocated to four dietary treatments by randomised block design according to liveweight. The animals received diets containing, per kg dry matter, concentrations of estimated metabolizable energy of 10.2 MJ (LE) or 11.9 MJ (HE) and crude protein concentrations of 108 g (LP) or 180 g (HP) in a 2 x 2 factorial experiment. The animals were offered high energy diets (30 g/kg liveweight) which were increased when live weight increased by 1.0 kg. The goats on the low energy rations were offered amounts equivalent to 0.85 of the ME intake from HE diets. The live weight gain and food intake were recorded weekly.

The principle sale product from Angora goat flocks is mohair. Weight of fleece and its fineness and uniformity all influence the cash value of a fleece. The price of mohair is very variable but the highest quality (finest) mohair always commands a premium. Fineness is particularly important when mohair is in over-supply (Figs 1 and 2). In extreme years there is no market for coarse fibre.

The growing need to diversify animal production in the UK has Increased the interest in indigenous fibre production. Mohair production from Angora goats 1n this country dates back as recently as 1981 with the Importation of 15 Angora does and 3 bucks from New Zealand (Ryder, 1987). To date this production remains a very small enterprise producing less than 0.2% of the world's mohair production (Fisher, 1989) and is compared with an estimated 40% of the world's mohair Imported annually in the UK, valued at approximately £35 million (Fisher, 1989).

There is relatively little information available concerning the nutritional requirements of British Angora goats in relation to mohair production. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of feeding basal diets supplemented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Yea -Sacc, Alltech, Europe) and additional protein on growth performance, selected blood metabolites and fibre (mohair) growth 1n Angora goats.

The developing UK cashmere goat industry utilises a variety of goat breeds and crosses as base stock in breed improvement programmes. Native feral goats contribute small but significant quantities of very high quality fibre and the attribute of hardiness. Stock from overseas are imported to increase the weight of cashmere produced. Some dairy goats are used for their higher prolificacy and because their superior ability to rear kids is important in the production of goat meat which is a secondary but nonetheless important source of income in cashmere production enterprises.

Early growth rates of feral kids have been shown to be low in relation to those of dairy breed and crossbred kids when reared by their natural mothers (Russel, Lippert, Ryder and Grant, 1986) but it is not known whether this is a result of a low potential growth rate or a limitation in the production or composition of their dams’ milk.

Little is known of the milk production characteristics of feral goats or even of dairy goats kept under suckling as opposed to milking regimes. This paper describes the milk production characteristics of suckled feral, dairy and feral x dairy goats and the effects of these characteristics on early kid growth rate.

Awareness of food quality has increased considerably amongst consumers for a number of reasons. These include concern over agrochemioal residues and eating quality. Food produced to organic standards is claimed to be of intrinsically better quality than conventionally produced food. Apart from the likelihood of reduced agrochemical residues, it is also suggested that organic food tastes better. Livestock diets are known to influence the taste of meat and milk products (Younie et al 1988). The experiment described here was initiated to determine whether beef produced organically had different flavour characteristics from conventionally produced beef.

Beef samples were obtained from two groups of Hereford x Frieslan steers born in autumn 1987, reared within the framework of an 18 month beef system and finished in early 1989.

The importance of environment, health and welfare nowadays asks for new approaches. Lessons may be learned from experiences elsewhere. In the Netherlands some consumers dislike the intensive pig production systems with little room for movement of the pigs. The pollution problem is considered to be unacceptable. They might also be afraid of harmful effects of additives on their health. A free-range pig keeping system was set up to accommodate these customers. The name of the system is “Scharrelvarkens” and is derived from the Dutch word “Scharrelen” which refers to feed intake behaviour of poultry in free-range conditions. “Varkens” stands for pigs. The free-range production system is according to certain rules. Animals are group housed, partly outdoors and no feed additives are allowed. Details are in the appendix.

There is anecdotal evidence that the meat of wild pigs is particularly tasty and their carcasses are lean. However it may be that the nature of the wild existence - high energy demands, low energy diet, unusual ingredients eg acorns and plant roots - is important in conferring these qualities. This Study was done to determine whether semi-wild pigs - the so called “Iron Age” breed - are different from typical modern white pigs (Large Whites) when both are reared on ‘modern’ commercial diets. Tests on carcass composition and meat quality were therefore made.

“Iron Age” pigs (IAP) were formed at the Cotswold Farm Park by crossing the European Wild Pig with the Tamworth. Three litters were obtained from 2 sires and 1 female and the progeny reared from about 20 kg on a pelleted diet (13.0 MJDE/kg) fed ad libitum. Slaughter was at approximately 60 kg live weight for the 18 IAP and 6 Large White (LW) pigs (balanced for sex) used in the tasting tests and between 10 and 240 kg for the dissected animals (250 LW, 19 IAP) - these data were then corrected to 65 kg live weight. The LW pigs were from several litters reared on the Institute farm.

The British government is encouraging livestock diversification and the production of those animal products which are still being imported. Currently most farm animal fibres such as mohair, cashmere and alpaca are imported with the result that there is a potential for developing production in the U.K. South American camelids can all be farmed for their fibre and present few nutritional or managemental problems. The llama is the largest of the four species with the male weighing about 116 kg. It produces coarse fibre of various colours. The alpaca is smaller than the llama, has short ears, a woolly face and a rounded rump. It averages 1 m in height and the male weighs 64 kg. There are two types of alpaca with different characteristics, the Huacaya and the Suri. Yields of 2.00 kg of good quality 18-30 micron fibre are normal. In South America the vicuna and the guanaco exist only in the wild state. Guanacos have shaggy coats of fine texture, usually chestnut borwn.

Scottish red deer research has defined under hill and upland conditions the relationship that exists between the winter growth rate of stag calves and their performance at grass the following summer (Adam, 1986; Blaxter et al, 1988). With the increasing movement of stag calves to the lowlands of England and Wales, and an expansion in finishing units in these areas, such a relationship needs re-defining to take account of the differences in climate, length of growing season and grass supply. This trial investigates the effect of two growth rates over winter on the overall performance of stag calves, both on hay and silage based rations, under lowland conditions.

Forty red deer stag calves approximately 4 months of age and weighing 40 kg liveweight were purchased from Scotland in September 1988. They were housed in one group and fed a common ration of ad libitum hay + 1 kg of a proprietary 18% CP compound per head per day from arrival on 26 September until 9 November 1988.

There is an increasing interest in deer farming as an alternative livestock enterprise. One of the main reasons for this is that, currently, demand for venison (a low fat, red meat) is much greater than supply. However a major limiting factor to venison production is the slow growth rate of deer during the winter months. This is a consequence of their low feed intakes over this period. The aim of this study was to monitor feed intakes of housed, commercially-farmed red deer calves on a ‘good quality’ diet over the winter months to observe seasonal variations in appetite.

One hundred and fifty four red deer calves (mainly June born) were observed in this study. There were four pens of stags containing 25, 23, 22 and 13 animals per pen, and three pens of hinds with 25, 25 and 21 animals per pen. All animals were offered forage ad-libitum plus 1.36 kg/d of a home-mix ration (12.9 MJ ME/kg DM, I62g CP/kg DM). One group of hinds was offered hay as the forage whilst the others all received silage.

Intensive pig housing often provides an environment with high levels of airborne contaminants which may be to the detriment of the health and welfare of the pig and the stockman. The problem is compounded by producers maintaining higher temperatures than necessary in an attempt to maximise performance. Consequently, air changes in a room may be unduly limited, particularly when the temperature differential between the outside and inside is large as in winter. It is therefore desirable to keep the room temperature as low as possible to maximise ventilation rate whilst ensuring that feed is used efficiently for growth. The temperature above which this occurs is the lower critical temperature (LCT). However current recommendations for LCT are based on research carried out on individuals and very small groups. Commercially, the variability of the group may have a significant effect on the practical minimum temperature which may be achieved. The objective of the trial reported here was to assess the performance of larger groups of pigs grown in controlled conditions utilising current recommendations for LCT based on the Bruce and Clark (1979) model.

It has recently been shown that stereotypies In tethered sows are reduced at high feeding levels, Indicating that feeding level may be a major factor in the development of stereotypies (Appleby and Lawrence, 1987). It has also been suggested that the restraint of tethering Itself Is a major source of stress for the sow, thus promoting the development of stereotypies. The exact role of both factors of feeding level and restraint on the development of stereotypies have not yet been studied separately.

Differences in experimental environments and genotypes may explain part of the large variability in levels stereotypies previously observed in tethered sows across experiments. Differences in stereotyped activities between sows of the same genotype within experiments must, however, be explained by individual differences In sows’ behavioural and neurological profiles.

The present experiment investigated the role of restraint and feeding level on the development of stereotypies in pregnant gilts. Secondly it Investigated social temperament as a factor reflecting the gilts’ predisposition to develop certain abnormal behaviours.

Mating and the resultant conception is a critical event in the operation of a pig production unit. The boar's presence is known to influence the reproductive performance of the female pig in several ways, such as the onset of puberty, the weaning-to-conception interval, behavioural oestrus, conception and the number of piglets born in the subsequent litter. To optimise the productive benefits from this interactive process and for ease of husbandry there are several key requirements.

The boar must be housed to maintain his health, welfare and reproductive ability, the newly weaned sow must be aware of the boar's presence and an area must be provided where mating can be successfully executed. Additionally, there are second-order objectives of considerable importance: the easy and clean provision of feed and water, a minimal effort muck removal system, pens which provide easy access for stock and pigmen whilst allowing easy stock transfers. The multiplicity of objectives must be integrated and satisfied in a successful design.

The newborn piglet is prone to hypothermia because of the body heat which is lost in evaporating birth fluids from its surface and because the climatic environment provided for the piglet at birth can be sub-optimal. If deep body temperature drops by over 2°C from the norm of 39° C the pig suffers from reduced locomotor vigour and becomes, more lethargic (Stephens, 1971). Such disadvantages can make the piglet less effective in competing for a teat and colostrum and also more prone to be overlain by the dam (English and Morrison, 1983). Because of the possible consequences of hypothermia, therefore, there is a need to quantify piglet body temperature trends from birth in the variable conditions provided for farrowing and to develop improved approaches for reducing the problem.

Studies in newborn piglets were conducted on a large commercial unit in which farrowing took place in pens with solid floored front creeps with underfloor heating, while the remainder of the pen floor was of woven wire. Mean temperatures (4 cm above floor level) in the front creep and the remainder of the pen were 22.6°C and 21.4°C respectively. Rectal temperature (at a depth of 4 cm) was recorded using a hand held digital thermometer in 168 piglets in 17 litters at 10 minute intervals in the first hour of life, at hourly intervals thereafter up to 10 hours and also at hourly intervals from 24 to 36 hours of age.

Evidence has been found in growing broiler chickens that the presence of added fat in the diet can enhance the energy utilisation of the non-lipid portion of the diet due to an interaction between fat and the carbohydrate component of the diet (Mateos & Sell, 1980; 1981). Also, while it is known that a negative correlation exists between the degree of saturation of the fat and its digestibility in monogastric animals (Freeman, 1983), few studies have examined a range of degrees of saturation with growing pigs. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of both the concentration of added fat and the degree of saturation of the fat in the diet on the performance of growing pigs. The fats used in the study were beef tallow and soya oil and are regarded as relatively saturated and unsaturated fats respectively and the assumed digestible energy (DE). values for these fats were 32.1 and 36.0 HJ/kg respectively.

Slaughter weights for pigs in the United Kingdom have traditionally been much lower than those in most other European countries and in North America. For example, in 1988 average carcass weights in the UK were around 64 kg compared to 72 kg in Denmark, 80 kg in Holland and over 105 kg in Italy. Currently, there is considerable interest within the BritisTi pig industry in heavier slaughter weights for pigs to exploit potential advantages in reducing fixed costs of production per unit of output. A research programme is currently being undertaken at this centre to investigate the potential for increasing slaughter weight and results from the first two studies undertaken are reported here.