Intake, live animal scores/measurements and carcass composition and value of late-maturing beef and dairy breeds

Genetic parameters of carcass and meat quality traits of double muscled Piemontese cattle.

A comparison of Friesian-Holstein, Piemontese×Friesian-Holstein and Romagnola×Friesian-Holstein steers for beef production and carcass traits

The ruminant animal responds to both the quantity and type of nutrients absorbed. However, in practical terms it is the level of dietary intake which has by far the biggest effect on animal performance. In terms of nutrients, the response by an animal to extra protein is greater when it is accompanied by an increased intake of metabolizable energy (ME). Microbial protein is the major source of absorbed protein for animals consuming forages and the efficiency of microbial crude protein (MCP) production (g/kg digestible organic matter; DOM) varies widely for forage diets, with the concentration of non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) or water soluble carbohydrates (WSC) and dilution rate within the rumen appearing to have most influence on this attribute. C4 plants, in particular, are low in NSC content and are associated with long retention time of digesta within the rumen and low MCP production. In examining the response by animals to various nutrients it is the response of the target tissue (muscle, mammary tissue, epidermal tissue) to specific nutrients which needs to be addressed. There are various strategies by which dietary intake, and hence ME and metabolizable protein (MP) intake, might be increased. Different strategies are suited to different outcomes. For example, reducing protein degradability within the plant is best suited to increasing protein supply from temperate plants. With tropical plants, increasing MCP production appears a more effective strategy to increase protein supply. The inclusion of lowlydegradable protein fractions (eg., sunflower albumin 8; SA8) in the plant, is more suited to a wool production system than for growth or milk production. In an examination of various strategies to improve forage quality, the traditional proposals of legume inclusion and those aimed at increasing intake and digestibility rank highly. Reducing protein degradability was an important strategy for improving protein supply from temperate legumes in particular. However, addressing low efficiency of MCP production was just as effective in improving protein supply and this was sensitive to NSC content, especially in C4 plants. The means by which some of these changes can be delivered may stem from traditional approaches (grazing management, sward structure, legume inclusion, supplements, plant selection) or through molecular approaches (tannin genes, lignin reduction, fibre-degrading bacteria, low-degradable protein fractions, NSC accumulation), and work should proceed on both fronts. The central importance of the rumen in determining the effectiveness of the response to most of these strategies rings a note of caution. Our analysis shows some of these manipulations may not yield the expected response because the rumen microbes are not growing efficiently or are limited in rumen degradable nitrogen, especially in the case of C4 plants.

Forage quality: Strategies for increasing nutritive value of forages

Economic values for carcase traits in UK commercial beef cattle

Crossbred progeny of Simmental (S), Belgian Blue (B) and Piemontese (P) sires out of Holstein-Friesian dams were used in two experiments. Experiment 1 involved 90 entire males (30 per sire breed) and Experiment 2 used 90 heifers (30 per sire breed). In each experiment animals were assigned from within breed type to one of three rations: 1) concentrate ad libitum (C), 2) grass silage ad libitum supplemented with 3.0 kg concentrate per head daily (S3) and 3) grass silage ad libitum with a variable level of concentrate (SV; 3 rising to 5 kg/day in Experiment 1, 0 rising to 3 kg/day in Experiment 2). The comparisons were from approximately 4.5 months of age to slaughter at 13 to 16 months of age. Animals were selected individually for slaughter, when judged to be at similar levels of fatness. In Experiment 1 the progeny of S sires had the highest rate of daily live-weight gain (1.38, 1.29 and 1.31, s.e.d. 0.032 kg for S, B and P progeny, respectively). Increasing concentrate level from 3.0 to 5.0 kg / head daily (SV) increased live-weight gain from 1.24 to 1.31 (s.e.d. 0.032) kg/day, but the highest rate of gain (1.43 kg) was achieved on C. Days on experiment were 293, 328 and 312 (s.e.d. 13.1) for C, S3 and SV, respectively. Cold carcass weights of bulls ranged from 327 and 335 kg. For heifers (Experiment 2) daily rates of live-weight gain were similar for progeny of S and B sires, but P progeny had a lower rate of gain (0.99, 1.00 and 0.91, s.e.d. 0.026 kg for S, B and P progeny, respectively). Days on experiment were 252, 304 and 355 (s.e.d. 10.3) for treatments C, S3 and SV, respectively; corresponding daily gains were 1.12, 0.97 and 0.83 (s.e.d. 0.026) kg. Cold carcass weights of heifers ranged from 229 and 242 kg. There was no ration x breed interaction in either experiment. It is concluded that across both genders mean growth rate was in the order S > B > P.

Performance of late maturing beef x dairy cattle finished on grass silage plus concentrate or all-concentrate diets

Forty Charolais and 40 Limousin × Holstein Friesian bulls, 8 months old and weighing 315 kg live weight at the start of the experiment, were given grass silage to appetite throughout. From 315 to 425 kg live weight they received: no supplement (S0), 1 kg (S1), 2 kg (S2) or 4 kg (S4) of a rolled barley supplement per head per day. After a mean treatment live weight of 425 kg had been achieved for each breed, the daily supplement of all treatments was changed to 3 kg of rolled barley per head per day until individual animals were adjudged to have attained a European Community (EC) external fatness score of 3 to 4L, at which point they were slaughtered. Daily growth rates from 315 to 425 kg live weight were 0·67, 0·82, 0·94 and 1·25 (s.e.d. 0·042) kg for treatments S0, S1, S2 and S4 respectively. Following the change of supplement rate at 425 kg live weight, daily gains were 1·46, 1·36, 1·27 and 1·16 (s.e.d. 0·051) kg/day, giving overall gains of 0·99, 1·05, 1·08 and 1·19 (s.e.d. 0·033) kg/day respectively. The numbers of days taken to achieve slaughter condition from the start of the trial at 315 kg were 277, 251, 243 and 207 (s.e.d. 5·3) days respectively. Bulls were slaughtered at 17·0, 16·2, 15·9 and 14·7 months of age and produced carcass weights of 330, 324, 322 and 305 (s.e.d. 6·5) kg respectively. Silage dry-matter intakes were 5·9, 5·1, 4·8 and 4·2 kg/day during the initial phase when differential supplement levels were being given and 7·0, 6·8, 6·2 and 5·8 respectively during the finishing period when all groups were being given 3 kg barley supplement daily. Food conversion ratios (kg dry matter intake per kg gain) were 9·1, 7·3, 6·9 and 5·8 during the initial phase and 6·4, 6·9, 6·9 and 7·2 respectively after 425 kg live weight. It is concluded that barley supplements of 0 to 2 kg/day offered with high-quality grass silage during the growing stage (8 to 12 months of age), followed by at least 3 kg/day will produce finished bulls at an average of 325 kg carcass weight at 16 to 17 months of age. A higher level of 4 kg barley during the growing stage will reduce the slaughter period to approximately 15 months of age but carcass weight will also be reduced. Further studies are required to define the precise level of barley supplement during this earlier period.

Effect of level of barley supplementation on the performance of continental × Holstein Friesian bulls given grass silage

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Performance of late maturing beef x dairy cattle finished on grass silage plus concentrate or all-concentrate diets

Effect of level of barley supplementation on the performance of continental × Holstein Friesian bulls given grass silage