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The use of coarsely chopped barley straw in high concentrate diets for beef cattle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

T. J. Forbes ,
J. H. D. Irwin  and
A. M. Raven
T. J. Forbes
Affiliation:
Ministry of Agriculture for Northern Ireland and the Queen's University of Belfast
J. H. D. Irwin
Affiliation:
Ministry of Agriculture for Northern Ireland and the Queen's University of Belfast
A. M. Raven
Affiliation:
Ministry of Agriculture for Northern Ireland and the Queen's University of Belfast
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Summary

An experiment was carried out in which the performance of cattle given diets containing 20 and 40% of coarsely chopped straw (1–3 in lengths) was compared with that of similar cattle given an all-concentrate diet. Each diet was offered ad libitum and twelve Hereford cross steers and twelve Friesian steers were used in the experiment. The live-weight gains and food conversion ratios were significantly better for the Hereford cross animals but there was no significant difference in over-all dry matter intakes. When the combined response of both breed types was considered there was a significantly linear decrease in live-weight gain with increasing straw intake, to the extent of 0.95 kg per week for each 10% increase in straw intake up to 40% in the diet. Similarly there was a significant increase in the conversion ratios of dry matter (P < 0·01) and organic matter (P < 0·01) with increasing straw intake. The effect on the dry matter conversion ratio was an increase of 1·67 units for each 10% increase in straw intake.

Two digestibility trials were carried out, one with coarsely chopped straw and one with coarsely milled straw, the levels of straw in the diets being the same. There was a slight decline in the digestibility of most constituents associated with milling but reductions were not very pronounced. A treatment was included in the second trial in which milled straw was included at 20% of the diet without maintaining the over-all crude protein content of the diet. The apparent digestibility of the organic matter was 5 percentage units lower with this treatment than with that containing the same level of straw in which the level of protein had been maintained.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 73 , Issue 3 , December 1969 , pp. 347 - 354
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1969

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References

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