Hostname: page-component-84b7d79bbc-5lx2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-29T06:36:53.940Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The influence of winter nutrition, grazing system and stocking rate on the performance of spring-calving Hereford × Friesian cows and their calves 2. Grazing system and stocking rate

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

R. D. Baker ,
J. M. Barker  and
Y. L. P. Le Du
R. D. Baker
Affiliation:
Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 SLR
J. M. Barker
Affiliation:
Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 SLR
Y. L. P. Le Du
Affiliation:
Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 SLR
Get access

Abstract

Forty-eight Hereford × Friesian cows and their South Devon calves were paddock grazed at high or low stocking rates of 412 or 206 cows and calves per ha in experiment 1, and either paddock grazed or set stocked at high or low stocking rates of 4·12 or 2·74 cows and calves per ha in experiments 2 to 4.

There was no significant effect of grazing system on milk yield, milk composition or calf growth but in experiment 2 paddock-grazed cows gained more weight than those set stocked. Cows at low stocking rates gained more weight than those at high stocking rates and, in general, gave more milk. Calf growth rates were also higher at low stocking rates in experiments 1, 3 and 4 but not in experiment 2. Milk composition was not significantly affected by stocking rate. There were substantial increases in calf live-weight gain per ha at the high stocking rate but, because of a lower gain by cows, the differences in total live-weight gains per ha for cows and calves were much smaller.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 34 , Issue 2 , April 1982 , pp. 225 - 237
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1982

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

Arnold, G. W. 1969. Pasture management. Proc. Aust. Grassld Conf., 1968, 2: 189–211.Google Scholar
Back, H. L., Alder, F. E. and Gibbs, B. G. 1969. An evaluation of an electronic instrument for pasture yield estimation. 2. Use with double sampling for regression estimation. J. Br. Grassld Soc. 24: 168–172.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baker, R. D., Alvarez, F. and Le du, Y. L. P. 1981a. The effect of herbage allowance upon the herbage intake and performance of suckler cows and calves. Grass Forage Sci. 36: 189–199.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baker, R. D. and Barker, J. M. 1978. Milk-fed calves. 4. The effect of herbage allowance and milk intake upon herbage intake and performance of grazing calves. J. agric. Sci., Comb. 90: 31–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baker, R. D., Le du, Y. L. P. and Alvarez, F. 1981b. The herbage intake and performance of set-stocked suckler cows and calves. Grass Forage Sci. 36: 201–210.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baker, R. D., Le du, Y. L. P. and Barker, J. M. 1982. The influence of winter nutrition, grazing system and stocking rate on the performance of spring-calving Hereford × Friesian cows and their calves. 1. Winter nutrition. Anim. Prod. 34: 213–224.Google Scholar
Combellas, J. and Hodgson, J. 1979. Herbage intake and milk production by grazing dairy cows. 1. The effects of variation in herbage mass and daily herbage allowance in a short-term trial. Grass Forage Sci. 34: 209–214.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conniffe, D., Browne, D. and Walshe, M. J. 1970. Experimental design for grazing trials. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 74: 339–342.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conway, A. 1963. Effect of grazing management on beef production. 1. Comparison of three systems of grazing. Ir. J. agric. Res. 2: 87–94.Google Scholar
Ernst, P., Le du, Y. L. P. and Carlier, L. 1980. Animal and sward production under rotational and continuous grazing management—a critical appraisal. Proc. Int. Symp. Eur. Grassld Fedn Role Nitrogen Intensive Grassld Prod., Wageningen pp. 119–126. Pudoc, Wageningen.Google Scholar
Greenhalgh, J. F. D. 1970. The effects of grazing intensity on herbage production and consumption and on milk production in strip-grazed dairy cows. Proc. 11th int. Grassld Congr., Surfers' Paradise, Qd Congr., pp. 856–860.Google Scholar
Hodgson, J., Tayler, J. C. and Lonsdale, C. R. 1971. The relationship between intensity of grazing and the herbage consumption and growth of calves. J. Br. Grassld Soc. 26: 231–237.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Horton, G. M. J. and Holmes, W. 1974. The effect of nitrogen, stocking rate and grazing method on the output of pasture grazed by beef cattle. J. Br. Grassld Soc. 29: 93–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hull, J. L. and Raguse, C. A. 1970. Irrigated pastures compete favourably with other field crops. Calif. Agric. 23: (7) 18–19.Google Scholar
Jamieson, S. and Hodgson, J. 1979. The effects of variation in sward characteristics upon the ingestive behaviour and herbage intake of calves and lambs under a continuous stocking management. Grass Forage Sci. 34: 273–282.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Le du, Y. L. P., Baker, R. D. and Newberry, R. D. 1981. Herbage intake and milk production by grazing dairy cows. 3. The effect of grazing severity under continuous stocking. Grass Forage Sci. 36: 307–318.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Le du, Y. L. P., Combellas, J., Hodgson, J. and Baker, R. D. 1979. Herbage intake and milk production by grazing dairy cows. 2. The effects of level of winter feeding and daily herbage allowance. Grass Forage Sci. 34: 249–260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McMeekan, C. P. and Walshe, M. J. 1963. The interrelationships of grazing method and stocking rate in the efficiency of pasture utilization by dairy cattle. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 61: 147–166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marsh, R. 1975. Systems of grazing management for beef cattle. Occ. Symp. Br. Grassld Soc, No. 8, pp. 119–128.Google Scholar
Meat and Livestock Commission. 1980. Results from recorded suckler herds—1979. Beef Improvement Services, Data sheet 80/5. Meat and Livestock Commission, Bletchley, Milton Keynes.Google Scholar
Mott, G. O. 1960. Grazing pressure and the measurement of pasture production. Proc. 8th int. Grassld Congr., Reading, 1960, pp. 606–611.Google Scholar
Owen, J. B. and Ridgman, W. J. 1968. The design and interpretation of experiments to study animal production from grazed pasture. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 71: 327–335.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Petersen, R. G., Lucas, H. L. and Mott, G. O. 1965. Relationship between rate of stocking and per animal and per acre performance on pasture. Agron. J. 57: 27–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Underwood, E. J. 1977. Trace Elements in Human and Animal Nutrition. 4th ed. p. 65. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar