Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-b95js Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-07T12:14:26.179Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The roughage requirement of the early-weaned calf

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

Hi Shin Kang  and
Jane Leibholz
Hi Shin Kang
Affiliation:
M.C. Franklin Laboratory, University of Sydney Farms, Camden, NSW 2570, Australia
Jane Leibholz
Affiliation:
M.C. Franklin Laboratory, University of Sydney Farms, Camden, NSW 2570, Australia
Get access

Summary

An experiment was conducted with 50 male Friesian calves between 5 and 11 weeks of age. Milled wheat straw (0·95 cm screen) was included in a pelleted all-concentrate diet at concentrations of 0, 15, 30 or 45 %. The nitrogen content of the diets was maintained by the addition of urea. The diets were given alone or with a chaffed lucerne hay or wheat straw supplement ad libitum. All diets contained 2 % sodium bicarbonate.

The feed intake and weight gains of the calves were increased significantly by the inclusion of 15 % milled wheat straw, but were reduced by 30 or 45 % straw. The supplements of chaffed wheat straw or lucerne hay ad libitum did not influence the performance of the calves. The inclusion of wheat straw in the diets reduced their dry-matter digestibility but the digestibility of acid detergent fibre was maximal with 27 % straw. The digestibility of nitrogen was significantly increased by 15% straw but reduced by further increases in straw.

The inclusion of wheat straw in the diets did not influence the pH of the rumen contents or the concentration of total volatile fatty acids in the rumen. Increasing the level of straw in the diet caused a significant linear increase in the proportion of acetic acid and decreases in butyric, propionic and valeric acids.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 16 , Issue 2 , April 1973 , pp. 195 - 203
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1973

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

Aafjes, J. H. 1967. Carbonic anhydrase in the wall of the forestomachs of cows. Br. vet.J 123: 252–256.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Association of Official Agricultural Chemists. 1965. Official Methods of Analysis. 10th ed. Association of Official Agricultural Chemists, Washington D.C.Google Scholar
Blaxter, K. L., Wainman, F. W. and Wilson, R. S. 1961. The regulation of food intake by sheep. Anim. Prod. 3: 51–61.Google Scholar
Briggs, P. K., Hogan, J. P. and Reid, R. L. 1957. The effect of volatile fatty acids, lactic acids and ammonia on rumen pH in sheep. Aust. J. agric. Res. 8: 674–690.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cullison, A. E. 1961. Effect of physical form of the ration on steer performance and certain rumen phenomena. J. Anim. Sci. 20: 478–483.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Esdale, W. J. and Satter, L. D. 1972. Manipulation of ruminal fermentation. IV. Effect of altering ruminal pH on volatile fatty acid production. J. Dairy Sci. 55: 964–970.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fenner, H. F., Dickinson, F. H. and Barnes, H. D. 1967. Relationship of digestibility and certain rumen fluid components to level of feed intake and time of sampling after feeding. J. Dairy Sci. 50: 334–344.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greenhalgh, J. F. D. and Reid, G. W. 1971. Relative palatability to sheep of straw, hay and dried grass. Br. J. Nutr. 26: 107–116.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hemsley, J. A. and Mom, R. J. 1963. Influence of higher volatile fatty acids on the intake of urea supplemented, low quality cereal hay by sheep. Aust. J. agric. Res. 14: 509–517.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hungate, R. E. 1966. The Rumen and its Microbes. Academic Press, New York and London.Google Scholar
Jahn, E., Chandler, P. T. and Polan, C. E. 1970. Effects of fiber and ratio of starch to sugar on performance of ruminating calves. J. Dairy Sci. 53: 466–474.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kay, M. 1969. Nutrition of the early weaned calf. A. Rep. Rowett Res. Inst. 25: 123–129.Google Scholar
Kay, M., MacDearmid, A. and Massie, R. 1970. Intensive beef production. XI. Replacement of cereals with ground straw. Anim. Prod. 12: 419–424.Google Scholar
Kay, M., MacLeod, N. A., McKiddie, G. and Philip, E. B. 1967. The nutrition of the early weaned calf. X. The effect of replacement of fish meal with either urea or ammonium acetate on growth rate and nitrogen retention in calves fedadlibitum. Anim.Prod. 9: 197–201.Google Scholar
Kay, M., MacLeod, N. A. and McLaren, M. 1970. The nutrition of the early weaned calf. XI. Intake of diets differing in energy concentration. Anivn. Prod. 12: 413–418.Google Scholar
Lamming, G. E., Swan, H. and Clarke, R. T. 1966. Studies on the nutrition of ruminants. 1. Substitution of maize by milled barley straw in a beef fattening diet and its effect on performance and carcass quality. Anim. Prod. 8: 303–311.Google Scholar
Leibholz, Jane. 1967. The source of protein in calf diets. I. A comparison of dried skim milk and meat meal. Aust. J. agric. Res. 18: 149–155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leibholz, Jane and Moss, F. P. 1967. The source of protein in calf diets. II. Meat meal quality. Aust. J. agric. Res. 18: 157–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leibholz, Jane and Naylor, R. W. 1971. The effect of urea in the diet of the early-weaned calf on weight gain, nitrogen and sulphur balance, and plasma urea and free amino acid concentrations. Aust. J. agric. Res. 22: 655–662.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leng, R. A. and Leonard, G. J. 1965. Measurement of rates of production of acetic, propionic and butyric acid in the rumen of sheep. Br. J. Nutr. 19: 469–484.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McManus, W. R., Bigham, M. L. and Edwards, G. B. 1972. Whole wheat grain feeding of lambs. I. Production responses to mineral buffer supplements. Aust. J. agric. Res. 23: 331–338.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, W. J., Martin, Y. G. and Fowler, P. R. 1969. Effects of addition of fiber to simplified and to complex starters fed to young dairy calves. J. Dairy Sci. 52: 672–676.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Owen, J. B., Davies, D. A. R. and Ridgman, W. J. 1969. The control of voluntary food intake in ruminants. Anim. Prod. 11: 511–520.Google Scholar
Poe, S. E., Glimp, H. A., Deweese, W. P. and Mitchell, G. E. 1969. Effect of preweaning diet on the growth and development of early weaned lambs. J. Anim. Sci. 28: 401–405.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Preston, T. R., Bowers, H. B., MacLeod, N. A. and Philip, E. B. 1963. Intensive beef production. 3. Performance of Friesian steers given low fibre diets. Anim. Prod. 5: 245–249.Google Scholar
Preston, T. R., Whitelaw, F. G., MacDearmid, A., MacLeod, N. A. and Charleson, E. B. 1961. Preliminary experiments with a roughage-free diet for beef cattle. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 20: XLII–XLIII.Google Scholar
Steel, G. D. and Torrie, H. 1960. Principles and Procedures of Statistics. McGraw-Hill Book Company Inc, New York.Google Scholar
Stobo, I. J. F., Roy, J. H. B. and Gaston, H. J. 1966. Rumen development in the calf. 2. The effect of diets containing different proportions of concentrates to hay on digestive efficiency. Br. J. Nutr. 20: 189–215.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stobo, I. J. F., Roy, J. H. B. and Gaston, H. J. 1967. The protein requirement of the ruminant calf. Anim. Prod. 9: 23–33.Google Scholar
Strozinski, L. and Chandler, P. T. 1971. Effect of dietary fiber and acid detergent lignin on body fill of ruminating calves. J. Dairy Sci. 54: 1491–1495.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Horn, H. M., Foreman, C. F. and Rodriguez, J. E. 1967. Effect of high urea supplement on feed intake and milk production of dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 50: 709–714.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Soest, P. J. 1963. Use of detergents in the analysis of fibrous feeds. 2. A rapid method for the determination offibreand lignin. J. Assoc. Off. agric. Chem. 46: 829–835.Google Scholar
Wheaton, H. N., Bradley, N. W., Mitchell, G. E., Little, C. O. and Boling, J. A. 1970. Distribution of volatile fatty acids in rumen ingesta of steers fed concentrate and roughage diets. J. Anim. Sci. 30: 601–604.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
White, T. W., Reynolds, W. L. and Hembry, F. G. 1971. Digestibility offinishingrations containing various sources and levels of roughage by steers. J. Anim. Sci. 32: 544–548.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
White, T. W., Reynolds, W. L. and Klett, R. H. 1969. Roughage sources and levels in steer rations. J. Anim. Sci. 29: 1001–1005.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wise, M. B., Blumer, T. N., Matrone, G. and Barrick, E. R. 1961. Investigations on the feeding of all concentrate rations to beef cattle. J. Anim. Sci. 20: 561–565.CrossRefGoogle Scholar