Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T18:28:14.633Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A comparison of pasture grazing and storage feeding, and the effects of sward surface height and concentrate supplementation from 5 to 10 months of age on the lifetime performance and carcass composition of bulls

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 May 2016

R. W. J. Steen
R. W. J. Steen*
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, Hillsborough, Co. Down BT26 6DR
*
† Also a member of staff of Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland and The Queen's University of Belfast.
Get access

Abstract

A 3-year experiment was carried out to compare systems of bull beef production involving continuous housing or pasture grazing from 5 to 10 months of age and to examine the effects of herbage allowance and concentrate supplementation on lifetime performance and carcass quality. Animals were either set-stocked at pasture to maintain nominal sward heights of 7, 9 and 11 cm or were offered grass silage (700 g digestible organic matter per kg dry matter (DM)) supplemented with 1·5 and 3·0 kg barley-based concentrates (183 g crude protein per kg DM) per head daily. Half of the animals grazed at each sward height were given 1·5 kg concentrates per head daily while the remainder received no supplement. A total of 160 continental X Friesian and 48 Friesian calves which were initially 197 kg live weight were used. From 10 months of age until slaughter at about 17 months all animals were given grass silage ad libitum and supplemented with 3·0 (year 1) or 3·75 (years 2 and 3) kg cereal-based concentrates per head daily.

Animals which grazed the 9- and 11-cm swards produced carcasses of similar weight to those given silage and 3·0 kg concentrates per day, while those grazing the 6·7-cm swards produced carcasses of similar weight to those given silage supplemented with 1·5 kg concentrates. Reducing sward surface height from 11·0 to 9·3 cm did not affect performance but further reductions to 7·9 (year 1) and 6·7 (years 2 and 3) cm reduced live-weight gain by 0·13 and 0·32 kg/day respectively. Concentrate supplementation did not affect the performance of animals grazing swards which were 7·9 cm or taller but increased live-weight gain by 93 and 193 g/kg concentrates for those grazing the 6·7 cm swards and those receiving silage respectively. Differences in live weight at 10 months of age due to the feeding treatments imposed from 5 to 10 months of age were largely retained until slaughter at 17 months as there was little compensatory growth during the residual period. The treatments did not affect carcass composition when the data were adjusted to a constant carcass weight, or meat quality which was satisfactory for all treatments.

Keywords

beef productionbullsconcentratesgrazingsward height.
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 58 , Issue 2 , April 1994 , pp. 209 - 219
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1994

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

Agricultural Research Council. 1965. Recommended procedures for use in the measurement of beef cattle and carcasses. Agricultural Research Council, London.Google Scholar
Allen, D. and Kilkenny, B. 1984. Beef production from dairy-bred calves. In Planned beef production, 2nd ed. pp. 131–173. Granada, London.Google Scholar
Baker, R. D., Young, N. E. and 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
Barthram, G. T. 1986. Experimental techniques: the HFRO sward stick. Biennial report, Hill Farming Research Organisation 1984–1985, pp. 29–30.Google Scholar
Beever, D. E. and Baker, R. D. 1986. Improving the utilization of forage for lean beef production. Animal and Grassland Research Institute, annual report 1985–86, pp. 102–105.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
Berge, P., Geay, Y. and Micol, D. 1991. Effects of feeds and growth rate during the growing phase on subsequent performance during the fattening period and carcass composition in young, dairy breed bulls. Livestock Production Science 28: 203–222.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Castle, M. E. and Walker, R. F. R. 1959. The outdoor rearing of Ayrshire calves on pasture with and without supplementary feeding. Journal of the British Grassland Society 14: 88–93.Google Scholar
Conway, A. 1968. Grazing management in relation to beef production. V. Effects of feeding supplements to beef cattle on pasture at two intensities of stocking. Irish Journal of Agricultural Research 7: 105–120.Google Scholar
Denham, A. H. 1977. Influence of energy and protein supplements on grazing and feedlot performance of steers. Journal of Animal Science 45: 1–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Drennan, M. J. 1979. Compensatory growth in cattle. 1. Influence of feeding level during the first winter (9–14 months of age) on subsequent performance and carcass composition. Irish Journal of Agricultural Research 18: 131–143.Google Scholar
Drennan, M. J., Conway, A. and O'Donovan, R. 1982. Compensatory growth in cattle. 3. Effect of stocking rate at pasture in summer on animal performance at pasture and during the subsequent winter period. Irish journal of Agricultural Research 21: 1–11.Google Scholar
Gibb, M. J. and Baker, R. D. 1991. Compensatory growth and body composition changes in grazing steers following silage feeding without or with a supplement of fish meal and monensin. Animal Production 52: 237–247.Google Scholar
Hardy, R. 1982. Finishing young bulls on grass silage fed throughout the year indoors. In Efficient grassland farming (ed. Corrall, A. J.), occasional symposium no. 14, British Grassland Society, pp. 325–326.Google Scholar
Hinks, C. E. and Prescott, J. H. D. 1972. An evaluation of beef carcass quality. 1. The influence of cereal feeding on the growth and carcass quality of Friesian steers. Animal Production 15: 215–227.Google Scholar
Kempster, A. J., Cuthbertson, A. and Harrington, G. 1982. Beef carcase grading and classification. In Carcase evaluation in livestock breeding, production and marketing, pp. 163–201. Granada, St Albans.Google Scholar
Lonsdale, C. R. 1976. The effect of season of harvest on the utilization by growing beef cattle of dried grass given alone or as a supplement to silage. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Reading.Google Scholar
Lowman, B. G., Hinks, C. E., Swift, G., Peebles, K. and Hunter, E. A. 1988. Grass height for finishing cattle. In Efficient beef production from grass (ed. Frame, J.), occasional symposium no. 22, British Grassland Society, pp. 232–234.Google Scholar
McCarrick, R. B. 1967. The growth and body composition of beef cattle fed conserved fodders. In Fodder conservation (ed. Wilkins, R. J.), Proceedings of the tenth international grassland congress, Helsinki, pp. 575–580.Google Scholar
Mayne, C. S. and Steen, R. W. J. 1990. Effect of grass sward height on the response to concentrate supplementation with growing cattle and lactating dairy cows. Proceedings of the seventh European grazing workshop, Wageningen, paper TUI.Google Scholar
Moran, J. B. and Holmes, W. 1978. The application of compensatory growth in grass/cereal beef production systems in the United Kingdom. World Review of Animal Production 14: 65–73.Google Scholar
Musangi, R. S., Holmes, W. and Jones, J. G. W. 1965. Barley supplementation and voluntary feed intake of fattening beef cattle under restricted and unrestricted grazing conditions. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 24: 1–11.Google Scholar
Nix, J. 1992. Farm management pocketbook. Wye College, University of London.Google Scholar
Patterson, D. C., Steen, R. W. J. and Kilpatrick, D. J. 1993. Direct and residual effects of plane of nutrition during early life on components of gain and food efficiency in beef cattle. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge In press.Google Scholar
Perry, T. W., Huber, D. A., Mott, G. O., Rhyberd, C. L. and Taylor, R. W. 1972. Effect of level of pasture supplementation on pasture, drylot and total performance of beef cattle. II. Spring plus summer pasture. Journal of Animal Science 34: 647–652.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.Google Scholar
Steen, R. W. J. 1991. Beef production from bulls. In Recent research on beef, occasional publication no. 20, Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, pp. 45–53.Google Scholar
Steen, R. W. J. 1992. The effects of plane of nutrition and slaughter weight on performance and carcass composition of beef cattle. Animal Production 54: 466 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Swift, G., Lowman, B. G., Scott, N. A., Peebles, K., Neilson, D. R. and Hunter, E. A. 1989. Control of sward surface height and the growth of set-stocked finishing cattle. Research and Development in Agriculture 6: 91–97.Google Scholar
Wilkinson, J. M. and Prescott, J. H. D. 1970. Beef production from grass and silage with autumn-born calves. 2. The effects on the performance of cattle fed on silage of barley supplementation and of previous grazing intensity. Animal Production 12: 443–450.Google Scholar
Wright, I. A. and Whyte, T. K. 1989. Effects of sward surface height on the performance of continuously stocked spring-calving beef cows and their calves. Grass and Forage Science 44: 259–266.Google Scholar