Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-jbqgn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-25T18:41:38.129Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Growth and development in beef cattle. 1. Direct and residual effects of plane of nutrition during early life on components of gain and food efficiency

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

D. C. Patterson ,
R. W. J. Steen  and
D. J. Kilpatrick
D. C. Patterson
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, Hillsborough, Co. Down BT26 6DR, UK
R. W. J. Steen
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, Hillsborough, Co. Down BT26 6DR, UK
D. J. Kilpatrick
Affiliation:
Biometrics Division, Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5PX, UK
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Low, medium and high planes of nutrition were imposed on Friesian calves from 1 to 13 weeks of age (Period 1) and factorially arranged with low and high planes of nutrition in the 13–25 week period (Period 2). In the final (residual) period, from 25 weeks to slaughter, all animals were given the same high plane diet comprising 3·5 kg of concentrates and grass silage ad libitum. The different planes of nutrition were achieved by offering restricted allowances of milk replacer or concentrates with grass silage ad libitum. Representative animals were slaughtered at 1, 13 and 25 weeks of age while the remaining animals were slaughtered at mean liveweights of 503 and 553 kg. Over 2 years, a total of 120 Friesian steers were taken through to the final slaughter point, with 60 additional animals being slaughtered at interim stages. The animals were housed in non-bedded accommodation throughout the study and the calves were born in January of each year. The ME intake of the low plane animals in Period 1 was 0·55 that of the high plane animals and produced liveweight (LW), empty body (EBW), carcass (CW), non-carcass (NCW) and alimentary tract (ALW) weight gains which were 0·60, 0·46, 0·47, 0·44 and 0·55 of the gains of the high plane animals. In Period 2 the low plane animals had ME intakes which were 0·69 of the high plane animals and produced proportional gains of 0·57, 0·48, 0·45, 0·51 and 0·56 respectively. Previously restricted animals had higher rates of gain subsequently and the indices for weight compensation by the final slaughter point in LW, EBW, CW, NCW and ALW for the low plane treatments in Period 1 were 0·72, 0·82, 0·89, 0·73 and 0·97 while indices for low v. high in Period 2 were 0·82, 0·82, 0·79, 0·86 and 0·95. With lower plane animals, food intakes/liveweight0·75 were significantly higher during the compensating period. Calves which had been restricted in either of the early periods had significantly improved food conversion efficiency during the compensating period but lifetime food efficiency was not affected by plane of nutrition in early life.

Type
Animals
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 124 , Issue 1 , February 1995 , pp. 91 - 100
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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

Abdalla, H. O., Fox, D. G. & Thonney, M. L. (1988). Compensatory gain by Holstein calves after underfeeding protein. Journal of Animal Science 66, 2687–2695.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baker, R. D., Young, N. E. & Laws, J. A. (1985). Changes in the body composition of cattle exhibiting compensatory growth and the modifying effects of grazing management. Animal Production 41, 309–321.Google Scholar
Beckenbauer, M. A., Kirchgessner, M. & Schwarz, F. J. (1984). Compensatory growth in young bulls fattened on maize silage after energy restriction at the starting stage. 1. Feed intake and growth. Wirtschaftseigene Fuller 30, 202–216.Google Scholar
Berge, P. (1991). Long-term effects of feeding during calfhood on subsequent performance in beef cattle (a review). Livestock Production Science 28, 179–201.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bohman, V. R. (1955). Compensatory growth of beef cattle: the effect of hay maturity. Journal of Animal Science 14, 249–255.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carstens, G. E., Johnson, D. E. & Ellenberger, M. A. (1989). Energy metabolism and composition of gain in beef steers exhibiting normal and compensatory growth. In Energy Metabolism of Farm Animals: Proceeding of the 11th Symposium, EAAP Publication No. 43 (Eds Honing, Y. van der & Close, W. H.), pp. 131–134. Wageningen: Pudoc.Google Scholar
Dukes, H. H. (1977). Dukes' Physiology of Domestic Animals, 9th edn. Ithaca, NY: Comstock Publishing Associates.Google Scholar
Fox, D. G., Johnson, R. R., Preston, R. L., Dockerty, T. R. & Kxosterman, E. W. (1972). Protein and energy utilization during compensatory growth in beef cattle. Journal of Animal Science 34, 310–318.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harte, F. J. (1968). Effects of plane of nutrition on calves for beef production. I. Growth rate, feed conversion efficiency, carcass yield and offals. Irish Journal of Agricultural Research 7, 137–148.Google Scholar
Hironaka, R. & Kozub, G. C. (1973). Compensatory, growth of beef cattle restricted at two energy levels for two periods. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 53, 709–715.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kirchgessner, M., Beckenbauer, M. A. & Schwarz, F. J. (1984). Compensatory growth in young bulls fattened on maize silage after energy restriction at the starting stage. 2. Nutrient conversion and carcass composition. Wirtschaftseigene Fuller 3, 217–228.Google Scholar
Levy, D., Folman, Y., Holzer, Z. & Drori, D. (1971). Compensatory growth in intensively raised bull calves. Journal of Animal Science 33, 1078–1085.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meadowcroft, S. C. & Yule, A. H. (1976). A comparison of two planes of nutrition for beef calves. Experimental Husbandry 31, 24–32.Google Scholar
Patterson, D. C. & Steen, R. W. J. (1995). Growth and development in beef cattle. 2. Direct and residual effects of plane of nutrition during early life on the chemical composition of body components. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 124, 101–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ryan, W. J. (1990). Compensatory growth in cattle and sheep. Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews, Series B 60, 653–664.Google Scholar
Saubidet, C. L. & Verde, L. S. (1976). Relationship between live weight, age and dry-matter intake for beef cattle after different levels of food restriction. Animal Production 22, 61–69.Google Scholar
Steen, R. W. J. (1984). A comparison of two-cut and threecut systems of silage making for beef cattle using two cultivars of perennial ryegrass. Animal Production 38, 171–179.Google Scholar
Steen, R. W. J. (1989). A comparison of soya-bean, sunflower and fish meals as protein supplements for yearling cattle offered grass silage-based diets. Animal Production 48, 81–89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steen, R. W. J. (1991). The effect of milk substitute input during calfhood on the lifetime performance of beef cattle. Animal Production 52, 67–74.Google Scholar
Thomson, E. F., Bickel, H. & Schurch, A. (1982). Growth performance and metabolic changes in lambs and steers after mild nutritional restriction. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 98, 183–194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, P. N. & Osbourn, D. F. (1960). Compensatory growth after undernutrition in mammals and birds. Biological Reviews 35, 324–363.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wright, I. A. & Russel, A. J. F. (1991). Changes in the body composition of beef cattle during compensatory growth. Animal Production 52, 105–113.Google Scholar