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A note on the post-weaning performance of autumn-born suckled calves

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

K. Osoro  and
I. A. Wright
K. Osoro
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Pentlandfield, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RF
I. A. Wright
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Pentlandfield, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RF
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Abstract

Thirty-nine Charolais × (Hereford × Friesian) autumn-born calves, whose dams had been given either 92 or 63 MJ metabolizable energy per day during winter and subsequently grazed at two sward heights, either 4-8 (short) or 7·6 (tall) cm from 6 May until weaning on 3 July in a factorially designed experiment, were used to examine the effect of pre-weaning performance on post-weaning growth rates. Following weaning the calves grazed as one group for a period of 76 days. There was no effect of winter treatment on postweaning performance. From weaning until 76 days later there was a significant (P < 0·01) effect of pre-weaning sward height on live-weight gain (0·94 and 0·69 kg/day for the calves from the short and tall swards respectively), so that the 41 kg liveweight difference at weaning was reduced to 22 kg (P > 0·05) with compensatory growth occurring independently of the height of the sward grazed.

Keywords

beef cattlegrazinggrowth
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 52 , Issue 3 , June 1991 , pp. 551 - 553
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1991

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References

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