Food intake, eating rate, weight gains, metabolic rate and efficiency of feed utilization in Bos taurus and Bos indicus crossbred cattle

Abstract

SUMMARYFood intake, eating rate, weight change and fasting metabolic rate were measured on 12 animals of each of the following breed-types: Hereford × Shorthorn (HS), Brahman × HS (BX) and Africander × HS (AX). Measurements were made on ad libitum and fixed levels of lucerne and ad libitum and fixed levels of low-quality tropical pasture hay (approx. 1·2% N) during feeding periods of about 100 days' duration.The BX and AX were heavier and either gained more weight or lost less weight than the HS on all diets. At feeding levels close to maintenance, which included the ad libitum pasture hay diet, adjustment for differences in either live weight or intake did not alter the unadjusted ranking of the breeds. On ad libitum lucerne, however, adjustment for either weight or intake showed higher gain in the HS than in the BX. The voluntary food intake per kg live weight was consistently and significantly highest for the HS and lowest for the BX. Rates of eating were not significantly different for the different breed-types but they were higher for high-quality lucerne and for the lower level of feeding. Fasting metabolic rate per kg live weight was highest for the HS and lowest for the BX; the difference between the breeds varied with the previous dietary treatment. The ratio of voluntary food intake to fasting metabolism was practically constant between breeds and animals within breeds, though different between diets.Correlations for animals within breeds and years between the various parameters within diets and between diets are presented.

Performance Of Growing Male Pigs Exposed To Quantitative Feed Restriction

“…This is supported by the report of Orr and Kirk (2001) that the level of intake may influence the rate of passage and/or digestibility and thus the efficiency of fed conversion. It is possible that the feed consumed by the full-fed animals as too much in the stomach within a given time to have limited rate of passage and/or digestion, whereas the reverse is the case in the restricted animal Further confirmatory support for the findings of this study is that feed restriction often results in apparent decrease in maintenance requirement due to depressed metabolic rate, suggesting that an animal becomes more and more efficient in utilizing a reduced food intake (Frisch and Vercoe 1977). This is based on the concept of a reduced maintenance requirement.…”

“…It has been shown that animals on restricted planes off nutrition have proportionally smaller livers (Ferrel et al, 1986;Marray et al, 1977) and also have lower maintenance energy requirement (MER). It has been suggested that the phenomenon of compensatory gain is directly related to liver mass and protein turn-over (Frisch and Vercoe, 1977). However, the requirements of splanchnic tissues, particularly the gut, represent a major part of MER (Hogg, 1991) and this adaptation to under feeding, by a reduction of the MER, has been explained by a decrease in the weight of the gut and some other metabolic organs in underfed animals (Mdllisson et al, 1991).…”

New World cattle show ancestry from multiple independent domestication events

“…European cattle breeds are largely taurine in origin, whereas cattle from the Indian subcontinent are indicine. Generally, indicine cattle are more feed-stress and water-stress tolerant and are more tropically adapted compared with taurine breeds (23). European taurine cattle have been subjected to more intensive selection for milk and meat production, as well as docility and ease of handling.…”

Feed intake and prediction assessments using the NRC, CNCPS and BR-CORTE systems in Nellore and Red Norte steers finished in feedlot

“…Frisch & Vercoe (1977) and Ledger et al (1970) demonstrated that animals of the Brahman breed and Brahman × British breeds presented smaller dry matter intake than pure British breed animals. Oliveira et al (1994) observed smaller intake for Nellore animals compared to crossbred animals fed 30 or 50% concentrate.…”