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Effects of the ratio of silage to concentrates in the diet on the performance and carcass composition of continental bulls

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2016

D. C. Patterson ,
R. W. J. Steen ,
C. A. Moore  and
B. W. Moss
D. C. Patterson
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, Hillsborough, Co. Down BT26 6DR
R. W. J. Steen
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, Hillsborough, Co. Down BT26 6DR
C. A. Moore
Affiliation:
Greenmount College of Agriculture and Horticulture, 22 Greenmount Road, Antrim, Co. Antrim BT41 4PU
B. W. Moss
Affiliation:
Food Science and Microbiology Division, Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5PX
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Abstract

A total of 45 continental bulls (1/2 Blonde d'Aquitaine/3/8 Charolais) were used in a continuous design randomized-block experiment, to examine the effects of the ratio of silage to concentrates in the diet on growth and carcass parameters. The proportions of concentrates in the five diets were 0·26, 0·40, 0·55, 0·68 and 0·75 (DM basis). The basal diet was grass silage with D value 730 g/kg and ammonia nitrogen per unit total nitrogen 86 g/kg. The mean initial and final live weights were 467 and 651 kg respectively, with a mean carcass weight of 384 kg. The digestibility of energy was not affected by the proportion of concentrates in the diet. The rates of live weight, carcass and separable lean tissue gain tended to reach a plateau at the higher concentrate proportions, while the rate of separable fat tissue gain increased linearly with increase in concentrate proportion. The separable lean content of the carcass was linearly and negatively related to the proportion of concentrates, with a predicted decrease of’10 g/kg for an increase in concentrate proportion of 0·16. Separable fat content was also linearly related to the proportion of concentrates, with a predicted increase of 10 g/kg for each 0·196 increase in proportion of concentrates. The absence of any effect of concentrate proportion on the content of saleable meat in the carcass was considered to reflect the high growth potential of the animals. An important conclusion was that 0·99 of the asymptote value for lean tissue gain was attained at a concentrate proportion of 0·52 and that 0·95 of the maximum rate of gain was obtained at the relatively low concentrate proportion of 0·39, therefore indicating that finishing bulls of this type can perform to a high level on diets which are predominately based on grass silage.

Keywords

beef cattlebullscarcass compositionconcentratesforage
Type
Ruminant nutrition, behaviour and production
Information
Animal Science , Volume 70 , Issue 1 , February 2000 , pp. 171 - 179
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 2000

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