Dietary forage concentration and particle size affect sorting, feeding behaviour, intake and growth of Chinese holstein male calves

Abstract

The objective of study was to evaluate the effect of forage concentration (F:C) and forage particle length (FPL) on sorting, feeding behaviour, intake, growth and body measurements of growing calves. Twenty-eight weaned calves of body weight 156.79 ± 33.44 (mean ± SD) were used in 2 × 2 factorial arrangements with the factors FPL of hay grass (full and short) and hay grass concentrations (low, 50% and high, 65%). The treatments were as follows: full length (FL) with low F:C (50:50), FL with high F:C(65:35), short length (SL) with low F:C (50:50) and SL with high F:C (65:35). Increasing F:C and decreasing FPL enhanced sorting for short and fine particle and sorting against long particle (p < 0.05). Dry matter intake (DMI) was decreased by decreasing the FPL (p < 0.05). Increasing F:C (65:35) increased the DMI (p < 0.05). A positive interaction between FPL and F:C was found for (daily weight gain) DWG, weight gain (WG) and feed conversation ratio (FCR) (p < 0.05). In case of feeding behaviour, interaction for eating time and eating time per kilogram DM was present. Increasing the F:C increased the eating time in both FL and SL (p < 0.05). Chopping of hay had decreased the chewing time (p < 0.05). Increasing F:C increased chewing time per kilogram DMI. High F:C decreased the lying time (p < 0.05) in FL and SL treatments (p < 0.05). Increasing F:C reduced the overall abnormal behaviour (p < 0.05). These results suggested that animals performed better at higher F:C at SL diet. Intensity of sorting for short and fine particle and against long particle increased at higher F:C and SL diets. Eating time and eating time per kilogram DMI increased by increasing F:C level in both FL and SL treatments. Chewing time increased by increasing the FPL, while increasing the F:C enhanced the chewing time per kilogram DMI and reduced animal's abnormal behaviour.

Effect of increased dietary crude protein levels on production performance, nitrogen utilisation, blood metabolites and ruminal fermentation of Holstein bulls

“…The animals were individually weighed before the morning feeding at the start and end of the experiment to calculate weight gain; moreover, body size was measured simultaneously. Wither height (distance from the base of the front feet to the withers), body length (distance between the points of the rump and shoulder), heart girth (circumference of the chest), body barrel (circumference of the belly) and waist (circumference of the waist) were measured according to a procedure described in our previous study [ 16 ]. Body size increments were calculated based on differences in body size measurements of the bulls at the start and end of the experiment.…”

Effects of Bile Acids and Lipase Supplementation in Low-Energy Diets on Growth Performance, Fat Digestibility and Meat Quality in Broiler Chickens

“…Before chemical analysis, excreta samples were dried at 57 °C for 72 h, after which they were ground to pass through a one-mm screen. Feed and excreta content of moisture and fat was determined according to the methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC, 2006) as decribed in literature (Muhammad et al 2016;Niu et al 2017;Xia et al 2018). Fat contents were determined by Soxhlet apparatus.…”

Dietary concentrate level affects the feed sorting behaviour of lambs

“…In support of our hypothesis, we found that lambs will selectively consume (sort) the more desirable components of the TMR, regardless of dietary treatment. Although data are lacking in lambs, several studies in dairy cows (DeVries et al, 2007;Leonardi & Armentano, 2003), heifers (Greter, DeVries, & Von Keyserlingk, 2008) and calves (Muhammad et al, 2016) showed that animals sorted against long particles in favour of shorter particles. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of such sorting behaviour in lambs.…”

“…(), dairy cows demonstrated higher degrees of feed sorting against longer forage particles and for smaller grain concentrate particles, particularly when they were fed diets with 51% forage compared with 62% forage. In another experiment (Muhammad, Xia, & Cao, ), increasing forage concentration and decreasing forage particle length enhanced sorting for short and fine particles and sorting against long particles in male calves.…”