Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-03T00:00:01.696Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Turnips with chemically-treated straw for beef production. 1. The effects on the growth of steers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

A. Macdearmid ,
P. E. V. Williams  and
G. M. Innes
A. Macdearmid
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
P. E. V. Williams
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
G. M. Innes
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
Get access

Abstract

A growth trial lasting 84 days and digestibility trials were carried out with Hereford × Friesian steers weighing initially 360 kg. Daily dry-matter intakes (kg) of 32 steers offered turnips with blood meal (250 g/day) and straw treated with sodium hydroxide (SP), urea (UP), ammonia (AP) or untreated (CP), and of a further eight steers offered turnips and ammonia-treated straw without a supplement of blood meal (A) were 6·5 (SP), 6·0 (UP), 6·6 (AP), 5·9 (CP) and 6·3 (A); live-weight gains (kg/day) were 0·69, 0·58, 0·60, 0·37 and 0·39 respectively. The non-protein nitrogen intake of steers on treatments SP and CP were matched to those on treatments AP, A and UP by the addition of urea. Coefficients of apparent straw organic matter digestibility were 0·629 (SP), 0·531 (UP), 0·578 (AP), 0·446 (CP) and 0·569 (A). Overall food intakes on all treatments were low initially (88 g/kg W0·73) and declined further to 78 g/kg W0·73. Live-weight gains also were low; those of steers given diets CP and A were lower (P< 0·001) than gains of steers on other treatments.

Improvements in the apparent digestibility of straw were obtained by chemical treatment but all values, except that of the UP group, were low. The supplementation of ammonia-treated straw with blood meal (AP) produced a higher (P < 0·001) growth rate in steers compared with that of steers receiving ammonia-treated straw alone (A). The low mean pH (6·48) and ammonia concentration (9 mg/100 ml) of rumen liquor sampled during the growth trial suggest that the poor growth rates and low food intake of cattle in this trial may be associated with the rapid release of soluble sugars from turnips given only once daily.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 37 , Issue 1 , August 1983 , pp. 97 - 104
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1983

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

Agricultural Research Council. 1965. The Nutrient Reguirements of Farm Livestock. No. 2, Ruminants. Agricultural Research Council, London.Google Scholar
Agricultural Research Council. 1980. The Nutrient Requirements of Ruminant Livestock. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Slough.Google Scholar
Davidson, J., Mathieson, J. and Boyne, A. W. 1970. The use of automation in determining nitrogen by the Kjeldahl method with final calculations by computer. Analyst, Land. 95: 181–195.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Greenhalgh, J. F. D. and Pirie, R. 1979. Alkali treatment of barley straw, hay, dried grass, bean straw and whole-crop oats. Anim. Prod. 28: 431 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Innes, G. M. and Kay, M. 1978. Supplementation of barley straw for castrated male cattle (steers). Anim. Prod. 26: 399–400 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Innes, G. M. and Kay, M. 1979. The effect of mechanical processing and urea on straw intake using steers. Anim. Prod. 28: 433 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Kay, M., MacDearmid, A. and Massie, R. 1972. Intensive beef production. 13. Replacement of concentrates with root crops. Anim. Prod. 15: 67–73.Google Scholar
MacDearmid, A., Innes, G. M., Williams, P. E. V. and Kay, M. 1982. Kale for beef production. Anim. Prod. 34: 191–196.Google Scholar
MacDearmid, A. and Kay, M. 1977. The replacement of barley by fodderbeet for fattening cattle Anim. Prod. 24: 146 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland and Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland. 1975. Energy allowances and feeding systems for ruminants. Tech. Bull. 33. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Mould, F. L., Ørskov, E. R. and Mann, S. O. 1983. Associative effects of mixed feeds. 1. Effects of type and level of supplementation and the influence of the rumen fluid pH on in vivo cellulolysis and dry matter degradation of various roughages. J. agric. Sci., Camb. In press.Google Scholar
Ørskov, E. R. and Grubb, D. A. 1978. Validation of new systems for protein evaluation in ruminants by testing the effect of urea supplementation on intake and digestibility of straw with or without sodium hydroxide treatment. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 91: 483–486.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ørskov, E. R., MacLeod, N. A. and Grubb, D. A. 1980. New concepts of basal N metabolism in ruminants. Proc. 3rd Eur. Ass. Anim. Prod. Symposium on Protein Metabolism and Nutrition, Braunschweig, 1980. EAAP Publication No. 27 (ed. Oslage, H. J. and Rohr, K.), pp. 451–456.Google Scholar
ØRSKOV, E. R., Tait, C. A. G. and Reid, G. W. 1981. Utilisation of ammonia- or urea-treated barley straw as the only feed for dairy heifers. Anim. Prod. 32: 388 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Pirie, R. and Greenhalgh, J. F. D. 1977. Alkali treated barley straw in complete diets for beef cattle. Anim. Prod. 24: 147 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Stewart, C. S. 1977. Factors affecting the cellulolytic activity of rumen contents. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 33: 497–502.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sundstøl, F., Coxworth, E. and Mowat, D. M. 1978. Improving the nutritive value of straw and other low-quality roughages by treatment with ammonia. Wld Anim. Prod. 26: 13–21.Google Scholar
Swan, H. and Clarke, V. J. 1974. The use of processed straw in rations for ruminants. Nutrition Conference for Feed Manufacturers 8 (ed. Swan, H. and Lewis, D.), 205–235. Butterworth, London.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whiteheat, R., Cooke, G. H. and Chapman, B. T. 1967. Problems associated with the continuous monitoring of ammoniacal nitrogen in a river water. Autom. Analyt. Chem. 11: 377–380.Google Scholar
Williams, P. E. V. and MacDearmid, A. 1981. Treated straw and turnips in rations for beef steers. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 41: 22A (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Williams, P. E. V., MacDearmid, A., Innes, G. M. and Brewer, A. 1983. Turnips with chemically-treated straw for beef production. 2. Effect of turnips on the degradability of straw in the rumen. Anim. Prod. In press.Google Scholar