Pre-weaning mortality in pigs in the United Kingdom is estimated to be 11.6% ie the loss of around 2 million piglets every year. If only the cost of piglet production is considered this represents a loss to the industry of approximately £28 million each year. In fact the revenue foregone from finished pigs is much greater (MAFF,1985).

Over 50% of the losses of liveborn piglets occur in the first 48 to 72 hours after birth. Around 75% of mortalities are due to the two, often related causes, overlying by the dam and starvation (English and Morrison, 1984).

Mortality is inversley related to birth weight, small piglets being affected by competition from their larger litter mates and having lower energy reserves. To reduce piglet mortality care must therefore be concentrated, especially on small weakly piglets in the first 48 hours of life.

An experiment was carried out to determine which feeding method maximised feed intake of growing pigs and to record growth rates, feed conversion efficiency and backfat measurements. There is an increasing tendency for dry fed pigs to be fed ad libitum or to appetite in order to increase growth rates and throughput of building.

Limited information is available on how the modern genetically improved pig will respond to high levels of feeding and whether ad libitum feeding will encourage higher feed intake than feeding to appetite either wet or dry.

The growth of a pig depends on the rate at which it eats feed and the composition of the feed. Where feed intake is controlled a pig eats all of its allowance and the problem is to predict its growth. When a pig is given free and continuous access to a feed its rate of intake as well as its growth has to be predicted. Functions which predict intake as dry matter or energy in terms of pig weight can, at best, be only approximations. A different approach to the problem of predicting feed intake is suggested here.

Prediction of intake. Suppose a pig at a protein weight, P kg, seeks to attain rates of protein and lipid retention of PR and LR kg/d respectively. Its protein requirement, PRQ kg/d, is some function of P and PR and its energy requirement, ERQ, is some function of P, PR and LR.

Automatically Controlled Natural Ventilation (ACNV) has been shown to give good control over ventilation rates in pig houses under a wide range of climatic conditions (1, 2 and 3). Ventilation control is the principal means of governing the house temperature. A lower house temperature implies higher ventilation rates and a lower concentration of airborne contaminants. In cold weather, therefore, there is an incentive to set the house temperature as low as practical considerations will allow. One important constraint is the temperature variation within the house. The present study was undertaken to determine the magnitude of the temperature variations occurring in a commercial pig finishing house during cold weather. External weather was monitored to determine the relationship between internal temperature patterns and the weather. In addition the use of ceiling fans was investigated to assess their influence on the temperature distribution and air speed at pig level.

The declining rate of Cr concentration in faeces after the dosage of a Sodium dichromate treated protein supplement can be used as an estimate of the protein outflow; rate. The experiment reported was planned to show wheter the variation in the rate of decline of Cr concentration in faeces induced by level of feeding and processing of the diet reflect the variation in rumen outflow determined by the rumen dilution rate of the marker.

In a duplicate 3x3 square latin design, 6 mature ewes cannulated in rumen were fed a ground pelleted diet of ‘0.6 alfalfa hay and 0.4 barley grain at 1 or 2 x maintenance energy level (P1,P2) or the same proportions of chopped hay and -cracked barley offered in a loose mix at twice maintenance (Ch2). 50 g. of fish meal treated withsodium dichromate were given as a single dose after 15 days of adaptation period to the diet and faecal grab samples taken at 6,12,18,24,32,36,42,48,60, 72,96 and 120 h. A second dosage was given 7 days later and rumen samples withdraw-ned at 1,3,6,9,12,15,18,22,28,36,48,60 and 72 h.

Leguminous crops represent a potentially valuable source of protein and energy for the ruminant. They promote higher levels of microbial activity in the rumen than most other feeds (Agricultural Research Council, ARC, 1984), probably because of their content and rate of release of nutrients. Thus, they may be useful supplements for low quality roughages. Levels above 0.15 - 0.20 long or chopped legume hay included in low quality roughage based diets result in a reduction in the intake of the basal roughage (Lane, 1982; Minson and Milford, 1967; Mosi and Butterworth, 1985; Siebert and Kennedy, 1972). This substitution effect may be due to a rumen physical limitation and/or a limiting nutrient supply for the rumen micro-organisms. The objective of this work was to study the effect of supplementing straw with lucerne pellets on the digestion kinetics and intake of the dietary components.

Two soluble glass boluses (COSECURE) per animal were given to 19 (+ bolus), silage fed, growing cattle (160-350 kg) on April 16th 1984 (day 0). After 29 days these and 11 untreated (control) animals, matched for weight, breed and sex, were turned out on to a copper deficient upland pasture. On day 153 (Sept. 21) all the cattle were moved to a lowland pasture until day 196, when they were housed and fed silage.

Blood samples and liveweights were taken on 5 occasions over 240 days. Copper status was assessed from plasma copper (Cu) and caeruloplasmin (CP) levels, and selenium status by erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) activity.

Fishmeal addition to grass silage generally improves growth in young cattle, but the response in terms of silage intake is more variable. Where there is a positive response in intake, this would appear to be partially attributabl to a ruminal effect whereby fishmeal increases rumen digestion. Degradation of fishmeal in the rumen may lead to the production of branched chain volatile acids (BCVA) which have been shown to increase fibre digestion (Gorosito et al. 1985). The experiment reported here was undertaken to compare the effect of BCVA and fishmeal supplementation on silage intake.

The intake of ensiled forages by lambs is frequently much lower than the intake of corresponding dried forages (Sormunen - Cristian, 1985). The latter is generally positively correlated with digestibility but a comparable relationship for ensiled forages is confounded by the many changes in composition which result from the activity of plant enzymes and bacteria during ensilage. The major fermentation pathways are well documented but much less is known about the changes in minor components and the effects these may have on the intake of silage.

Two extraction techniques, Grob headspace stripping (Grob and Zurcher, 1976) and Likens Nickerson extraction (Likens and Nickerson, 1964) were employed to study the components of grass and silages. Headspace chromatograms are presented along with the composition of the silages.

Alkali treatment increases the digestibility of straw but processing methods and the effectiveness differ widely. The aim of this study was to compare an on-farm method producing chopped straw (C) with an industrial process producing coarsely ground straw (Viton) (G) (Wilson and Brigstocke, 1967).

Four dry Friesian cows, each with a large rumen cannula and a simple cannula in the proximal duodenum, were given (kg dry matter (DM)/day): 3.4 concentrate (180 g crude protein/kg DM) and 3.1 C or G alkali-treated straws in one meal daily in a simple change-over design. A single batch of spring barley straw was used and was treated with about 40 g NaOH/kg either by an on-farm process giving particles about 10 cm long (C) or by an industrial process giving coarsely-ground straw in a pellet (Viton) (G). Spot samples of digesta were taken from the duodenum for measurement of digestion in the stomach, using chromic oxide paper, and for measurement of the rate of passage of indigestible residues using magenta-stained straw. Eating behaviour and reticular movements were measured by use of balloons (Balch, 1971). Straw DM digestibility was measured over 48 h in vitro and by dacron bags (in situ) (Ørskov and McDonald, 1979).

The conventional method of measuring ad libitum intake of roughages involves offering sufficient (usually in chopped form) to ensure that 15 to 20% is left at the end of the feeding period (Blaxter et al 1961). Earlier experiments (Waned and Owen, 1986) with goats and sheep fed long roughages ad libitum (allowing 20% of feed offered to be refused) showed both species to be capable of selective feeding, in that refusals had a lower nutritive value than feed offered. The latter study and that of Glbb and Treacher (1976) with grazing sheep, suggested that selection and hence intake of roughage would increase if the amount offered (and hence refusal rate) was increased.

To test this hypothesis two experiments were conducted with housed (16 hours light, 8 hours dark), individually penned Saanen castrate goats ranging in weight (15 to 65 kg) and age (6 to 30 months). Animals were fed restricted amounts of concentrates (15 g dry matter (DM) per kg M0.7S daily) and long barley straw ad libitum.

Wine production within the EEC has been increasing continuously over the past decade,creating a surplus which has been handled either by storage as wine or concentrated grape Juice, or by the distillation of wine to higher strength alcohol. As a possible alternative outlet, it has been proposed that grape juice concentrate (GJC) be used as a component of animal feed systems.

The dry matter (DM) of GJC averages 630 g/kg, with a sugar content of 920 g/kg DM of which approximately equal proportions are fructose and glucose. The protein content averages only 10g/kgDM

To investigate the feasibility of utilising GJC in the diet of beef cattle a production trial tas planned, using information on voluntary intakes of GJC and total dry matter intakes (DMI) obtained in a preliminary cattle feeding study.

Wine production within the EEC has been increasing continuously over the past decade, creating a surplus which has been handled either by storage as wine or concentrated grape juice, or by the distillation of wine to higher strength alcohol. As a possible alternative outlet, it has been proposed that grape Juice concentrate (GJC) be used as a component of animal feed systems.

The dry matter (DM) of GJC averages 630 g/kg, with a sugar content of 920 g/kg DM, of which approximately equal proportions are fructose and glucose. The protein content averages only 10 g/kg DM.

A series of production and digestibility studies has been conducted, to investigate the feasibility of utilising grape juice concentrate (GJC) in the diet of growing pigs.

A desirable liveweight for red deer at 15 months of age is approximately 80 kg. This will provide a saleable carcase and a liveweight at which yearling hinds will successfully breed. Live-weight at 15 months will be influenced by a large number of factors including date of birth, birth-weight, liveweight gain to weaning, date of weaning, liveweight gain during the first winter and subsequent summer, and the interactions between weaning weight and subsequent levels of nutrition and between winter levels of nutrition and liveweight gain at pasture in the following summer. These latter two aspects were examined in two experiments and the effect of date of weaning on contemporary calf growth rates and on hind calving date in the following year were studied in a third experiment. The objective was to provide information which would allow the development of effective systems of deer meat production based on slaughter at 15 months of age.