Economic analysis, performance, and feed efficiency in feedlot lambs

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate residual feed intake (RFI), residual intake and body weight gain (RIG) and their relationship with other traits of efficiency, performance, and economic analysis of sheep. Lambs (n = 102) were evaluated during 56 days and a herd consisting of 500 ewes was simulated with the mean of dry matter intake (DMI) and final body weight of the lambs, the same as that of the experimental lambs. The lambs were fed hay-based diet of Tifton 85 (Cynodon spp.), corn, and soybean in the voluminous:concentrate ratio of 35:65. Residual feed intake and RIG were correlated with DMI, feed conversion ratio, and feed efficiency. Residual intake and body weight gain were positively correlated with average daily gain, relative growth rate, and Kleiber's rate. The most efficient production systems (lower RFI and higher RIG) had lower costs and higher profit margins. The net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) were higher in systems with more efficient lambs. In systems with less efficient lambs, NPV and IRR were negative and lower, respectively. Efficient animals for RFI and RIG showed satisfactory performance and better economic results.

Nutritional Supplements Fortified with Oils from Canola, Flaxseed, Safflower and Rice Bran Improve Feedlot Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Australian Prime Lambs

“…Furthermore, in some instances, adding oil based PUFA supplements to ruminant rations resulted in reduced animal feed intake, animal performance and carcass muscle mass [13,14] or a depression of ruminal fermentation [15]. High feed cost is another challenge in the on-farm application of oil based n-3 LC-PUFA supplementation because the cost of nutrition can represent approximately 70% of the total cost of lamb production in confined systems [16,17].…”

Modelling of Livestock Systems to Enhance Efficiency

“…There are several studies that attempted to use residual feed intake to improve production efficiency in fattening lambs, especially for selection programs (François et al, 2007). However, as reported and reviewed by Lima et al (2017), there is no way to identify animals with high-feed efficiency and high gains through residual feed intake because this index does not consider the production level (Berry and Crowley, 2012). Indeed, residual feed intake can be low even in animals with low-weight gains, which usually are considered inefficient from a productive point of view, because of the high incidence of their maintenance costs over total nutritional costs.…”

Residual Feed Intake as a Measure to Select Genetically Productive Beef Cattle: A Review

“…Beef cattle are increasingly competitive and several resources have been applied to reduce the slaughter age of beef cattle, aiming to produce more meat in less time, which would increase the profitability of the farm [1]. An alternative is the selection of the most efficient animals, which can be done in different ways, for example by assessing the feed conversion of the cattle (amount in kilogram of feed consumed by the animal divided by the amount of kilogram gain produced) [2,3].…”