• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.474-477
• /
• 2000

Two experiments were conducted to study the use of urea-treated rice straw (UTRS) and whole sugar cane (WSC) crop as roughage sources for dairy cattle during the dry season. Experiment I, four rumen-fistulated dairy crossbred steers were assigned to receive roughage treatments according to a $4{\times}4$ Latin square design: $T_1=urea-treated$ (5%) rice straw, $T_2=UTRS$ and WSC at 75:25% DM, $T_3=UTRS$ and WSC at 25:75% DM, and $T_4=WSC$. Experiment II, three rumen fistulated, late lactating multiparous Holstein-Friesian crossbreds were randomly allotted to a $3{\times}3$ Latin square design to receive three types of roughages; $T_1=WSC$, $T_2=UTRS$, $T_3=WSC+UTRS$ at 50:50% DM. It was found that combination of UTRS and WSC at 75:25 ratio significantly increased DM intake while intake of WSC alone was lowest. Moreover, inclusion of UTRS into WSC enhanced digestibilites (Exp. I). In Exp. II, combination of UTRS with WSC at 50:50 ratio (DM) enhanced DM intake (kg/d) (p<0.05) and especially milk yield, milk fat and protein percentages. The findings suggest the combined use of WSC and UTRS improved the feeding values of these roughages for dairy cattle during the dry season.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.16 no.12
• /
• pp.1725-1731
• /
• 2003

Effect of strategically supplemented pregnancy allowance was ascertained during different phases of gestation on the reproductive performance of does. Gravid does (18) were allotted to 3 dietary treatments HH, HL and LH in a completely randomized block design. All does were provided wheat straw ad libitum and supplemented with concentrate mixture at the rate of $20g/kgW^{0.75}$ from 0-60 days post-mating. Subsequently, HH group was given concentrate at the rate of $40g/kgW^{0.75}$ from 61 d post-mating to term. HL group was offered concentrate from 61-90 d post-mating and 121d post mating to term at the rate of $20g/kgW^{0.75}$ and from 91-120 d post-mating at the rate of $40g/kgW^{0.75}$. LH group was provided with concentrate from 61 to 120 d post-mating and 121 to term at the rate of 20 g and $40g/kgW^{0.75}$, respectively. Mean total dry matter and concentrate intake ($g/kgW^{0.75}$) was significantly higher on HH in comparison to comparable intake of HL and LH treatments, however, wheat straw followed the reverse trend. Haematological and biochemical parameters except serum glucose, total serum protein and A:G ratio did not differ significantly among dietary treatments. The gross gain in weight, products of pregnancy at 21 weeks of gestation, pregnant does average daily gain, birth weight of kids and survivability of kids were significantly lower in treatment HL in comparison to comparable values for HH and LH treatments. The net gain in gravid does was significantly higher in treatment HH than the comparable values obtained in HL and LH treatments. The last month of pregnancy was found to be nutritionally most sensitive period of gestation for native goats.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.18 no.5
• /
• pp.637-642
• /
• 2005

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary undegradable protein (UP) level on body weight change, nutrient intake, milk production and postpartum reproductive performance of Awassi ewes. Twenty-seven multiparous Awassi ewes (initial body weight = 53.3${\pm}$1.6 kg) were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments (9 ewes/treatment) for 62 days using a completely randomized design. Experimental diets were isonitrogenous (15.5% CP), isocaloric, and were formulated to contain 17.9 (LUP), 27.1 (MUP), and 34.0% (HUP) of the dietary CP as UP. On day 10${\pm}$3 (day 0 = parturition) ewes were housed in individual pens for 5 weeks. Feed offered and refused was recorded daily. At the end of this period, animals were removed from their pens and combined into 3 separate groups (LUP, MUP and HUP). One fertile, harnessed ram was allowed with each group for 34 days. Rams were rotated every 2 days among the three groups. Each group was offered the corresponding experimental diet. Organic matter, CP, UP and metabolizable energy intakes were higher (p<0.05) for ewes fed the HUP diet compared with ewes fed the LUP and MUP diets. Ewes fed the HUP diet gained more (p<0.05) weight compared with ewes fed the MUP diet (7.3 vs. 2.1 kg), while ewes fed the LUP diet lost an average of 2.1 kg. Pregnancy rate of ewes fed the HUP diet was 100%, compared with 66 and 33% for ewes fed the MUP and LUP diets, respectively. Lambing rate was greater (p<0.05) for ewes fed HUP (8/9) diet compared with ewes fed the MUP (4/9) and LUP (3/9) diets. These results indicate that Awassi ewes receiving adequate dietary UP level consume more feed and are capable of returning to estrus shortly after parturition and are capable of producing two lamb crops per year.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.14 no.10
• /
• pp.1383-1388
• /
• 2001

To explore the factors restricting animal performance in relation to sward structure under a strip-grazing system, measurements of sward factors, herbage intake and milk production at 3 levels of herbage allowance were made on perennial ryegrass (Latium perenne L.) sward for 3 experimental periods. About 29%, 36% and 52% of the biomass offered was removed by grazing in high $(42kg\;OM{\cdot}day^{-1}{\cdot}head^{-1})$, medium $(30kg\;OM{\cdot}day^{-1}{\cdot}head^{-1})$ and low $(18kg\;OM{\cdot}day^{-1}{\cdot}head^{-1})$ herbage allowance plots. Live leaf material was much more affected by grazing under different herbage allowance levels than dead material or leaf sheath. Grazing with a low herbage allowance decreased the proportion of live lamina by 93% and live lamina density by 96% before grazing. The density of dead material plus sheath was decreased by 17% after grazing at a low allowance, while it slightly increased or remained constant in the plots applied with high and medium allowances, respectively. The highly significant (p<0.01) correlations between herbage allowance and proportion (r=0.94) and density (r=0.91) of live lamina in residual sward after grazing were observed. Daily herbage intakes in the plots with high and medium levels of herbage allowance were not significantly different at $15.3kg\;OM{\cdot}head^{-1}$ in average, whereas with low level it decreased to $13.9kg\;OM{\cdot}head^{-1}$. Daily milk production was significantly (p<0.05) declined from $22.3kg{\cdot}head^{-1}$ (at high herbage allowance) to $19.7kg{\cdot}head^{-1}$ (at low herbage allowance). The data obtained clearly indicated that herbage intake and milk production were highly affected by the characteristics of residual sward, which were closely related to the level of herbage allowance.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.13 no.7
• /
• pp.913-917
• /
• 2000

Sixteen adult Barbari bucks were divided into 4 homogeneous groups, each group was offered wheat straw (WS) at levels 75, 100, 125 and 150 per cent of ad libitum intake in a factorial randomized complete block design. All goats were uniformly fed a supplement ($13.5g\;DM/kg\;W^{0.75}$) to fulfill their requirement for protein at maintenance level. The experimental feeding of goats at different levels for 21 days was followed by a digestion trial of 6 days and determination of rate of passage of digesta for 144 h duration, respectively. Intake ($g/kg\;W^{0.75}$) of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), digestible DM and digestible OM increased with increase in amount of WS offered. The levels of WS refusals for obtaining upper limit of intake was found to be above 30% of DMO. Concentration of ADF and lignin was significantly lower and CP was higher (p>0.05) in food ingested relative to food offered or refused in response to increasing allowance of WS. Dietary means of particulate rate of passage from rumen, transit time and total mean retention time ranged from 0.032 to 0.036/h, 19.10 to 21.72/h and 58.61 to 61.53/h respectively and did not show significant differences (p>0.05) irrespective of dietary level of WS. The results suggest that DMI and quality of ingested WS would improve with higher rates of offer and refusals (${\geq}30%$ of DMO) without any pronounced effect on passage kinetics of digesta, because of the greater opportunity afforded to goats for selective feeding.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.14 no.12
• /
• pp.1728-1733
• /
• 2001

An experiment was conducted at the experimental duck farm of Cantho University in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam to evaluate the effects of offering pairwise feeds with different crude protein (CP) levels to Cherry Valley broiler ducks from 28-63 days of age on feed intake and performance. Five diets consisting of mixtures of soya bean meal, fish meal, maize meal and fine rice bran, were formulated to give isocaloric diets with 30, 24, 18, 16 and 12% CP. These were offered separately as pellets to growing ducklings in the following combinations: 30+18, 30+12, 24+16 and 18+12. A diet with 20% CP (CP20) was used as control. All the diets were offered ad libitum. Daily feed intakes (g dry matter, DM) were 161, 168, 150, 101 and 143 g for the 30+18, 30+12, 24+16, 18+12 and CP20 treatments, respectively. CP intakes were 29.6, 27.0, 24.8, 17.1 and 22.9% of total DM intake, and the ratio of methionine+cystine to lysine was 0.76, 0.75, 0.75, 0.76 and 0.75 for the 30+18, 30+12, 24+16, 18+12 and CP20 treatments, respectively. Live weights at 63 days of age were 2,937, 3,054, 2,898, 2,200, and 2,811 g (p<0.001), and daily live weight gains 57.8, 61.7, 57.0, 38.5 and 55.7 g (p<0.001) for the 30+18, 30+12, 24+16, 18+12 and CP20 treatments, respectively. The weights and yields of the carcass, breast and thigh muscles, and heart decreased in the order 30+18, 30+12, 24+16, CP20 and 18+12 (p<0.001). The present study suggests that growing broiler offered a combination of high and low protein feeds pairwise will eat excessive amounts of the high protein feed, thus resulting in protein intakes above requirements.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.21 no.11
• /
• pp.1576-1584
• /
• 2008

In this study, canonical correlation analysis (CCA) was applied to estimate the relationship between three different sexual maturity traits (X set: days to first egg (DFE), weight of the first egg (WFE), body weight at first egg (BWFE)) and level of nutrient intake (Y set: energy (EI) and protein intake (PI)) or the egg production traits at two different periods (Z set: number of egg (NE1 and NET) and weight of egg (WE1 and WET) from 22 to 25 (Wfirst) and 22 to 33 wk of age (Wall), respectively), which were measured from 64 egg-type pullets (Isa Brown) manipulated for time of access to energy and protein sources to onset of egg production. Partial CCA (PCCA) was used to eliminate the contribution of differences in the levels of nutrient intake to canonical variables for X and Z sets at the first production period. Estimated canonical correlation coefficients between X set and Y set (0.429, p = 0.042), X set and Z set (0.390, p = 0.007 for Wfirst) and within Z set (between Wfirst and Wall; 0.780, p<0.001), and partial canonical correlation coefficient between X set and Z set (0.415, p = 0.009) were significant. Canonical weights and loadings from CCA indicated that the BWFE had the largest contribution compared to the DFE and WFE to variation of egg number produced at two different periods. The results from PCCA indicated that the contribution of PI and EI to the degree of the correlation between canonical variables for X and Z sets were unfavourable. In conclusion, the effect of body weight at sexual maturity upon the availability of nutrients can have a higher contribution to variation of egg production in pullets if the contribution of differences in nutrient intakes to onset of egg production were eliminated.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.80-85
• /
• 2018

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of corn grain particle size on ruminant fermentation and blood metabolites in Holstein steers fed total mixed ration (TMR) as a basal diet to explain fundamental data of corn grain for cattle in Korea. Methods: Four ruminally cannulated Holstein steers (body weight $592{\pm}29.9kg$) fed TMR as a basal diet were housed individually in an auto temperature and humidity modulated chamber ($24^{\circ}C$ and 60% for 22 h/d). Treatments in a $4{\times}4$ Latin square design were TMR only (control), TMR with whole corn grain (WC), coarsely ground corn grain (CC), and finely ground corn grain (FC), respectively. The corn feeds substituted for 20% energy intake of TMR intake. To measure the ruminal pH, ammonia N, and volatile fatty acids (VFA), ruminal digesta was sampled through ruminal cannula at 1 h intervals after the morning feeding to determine ruminal fermentation characteristics. Blood was sampled via the jugular vein after the ruminal digesta sampling. Results: There was no difference in dry matter (DM) intake between different corn particle size because the DM intake was restricted to 1.66% of body weight. Different corn particle size did not change mean ammonia N and total VFA concentrations whereas lower (p<0.05) ruminal pH and a ratio of acetate to propionate, and higher (p<0.05) propionate concentration were noted when the steers consumed CC compared with WC and FC. Concentration of blood metabolites were not affected by different particle size of corn grain except for blood triglyceride concentration, which was significantly (p<0.05) increased by FC. Conclusion: Results indicate that feeding CC may increase feed digestion in the rumen, whereas the FC group seemed to obtain inadequate corn retention time for microbial degradation in the rumen.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.208-215
• /
• 2017

This study was designed to investigate the carryover effects of high-forage to concentrate (F: C) diet in bred heifers on feed intake, feed efficiency (FE) and milk production of primiparous lactating Holstein cows. The experiment was conducted for 589 days (d) from onset of pregnancy through to the end of first lactation. Twenty-four bred heifers (Body weight: $BW=345.8{\pm}45.4kg$ and $15{\pm}1.2mon$ of age) randomly assigned to two groups of 3 pens containing 4 heifers each and fed high forage (HF) diet with F: C ratio of 91.7: 8.3% and low forage (LF) diet with F: C ratio of 77.8: 22.2% throughout the pregnancy period. After calving, lactating cows were fed total mixed ration (TMR) based diet. No differences (p > 0.05) were observed in dry matter intake (DMI) of bred heifers and primiparous lactating cows in both HF and LF groups. The FE of mid-to-late lactation period was higher (p< 0.05) in HF than LF group. However, the HF group showed higher (p < 0.05) milk yield, 4 % fat corrected milk (FCM) and energy corrected milk (ECM) than LF group during the 305 d lactation. The LF group showed higher (p < 0.05) milk fat, crude protein (CP), milk urea nitrogen (MUN), solid not fat (SNF) and somatic cell count (SCC) than HF group. It is concluded that restriction of F: C ratio to 91.7: 8.3% to bred heifers has the potential carryover effects to maintain higher milk yield and FE with no adverse effect on feed intake and milk composition of primiparous lactating Holstein cows.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.672-676
• /
• 2018

Objective: An experiment was conducted to study the effect of a blend of essential oils (BEO) on enteric methane emission and growth performance of buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis). Methods: Twenty one growing male buffaloes (average body weight of $279{\pm}9.3kg$) were divided in to three groups. The animals of all the three groups were fed on a ration consisting of wheat straw and concentrate mixture targeting 500 g daily live weight gain. The three dietary groups were; Group 1, control without additive; Group 2 and 3, supplemented with BEO at 0.15 and 0.30 mL/kg of dry matter intake (DMI), respectively. Results: During six months feeding trial, the intake and digestibility of dry matter and nutrients (organic matter, crude protein, ether extract, neutral detergent fibre, and acid detergent fibre) were similar in all the groups. The average body weight gain was tended to improve (p = 0.084) in Group 2 and Group 3 as compared to control animals. Feeding of BEO did not affect feed conversion efficiency of the animals. The calves of all the three groups were in positive nitrogen balance with no difference in nitrogen metabolism. During respiration chamber studies the methane production (L/kg DMI and L/kg digestible dry matter intake was significantly (p<0.001) lower in Group 2 and Group 3 as compared to control animals. Conclusion: The results indicated that the BEO tested in the present study have shown potential to reduce enteric methane production without compromising the nutrient utilization and animal performance and could be further explored for its use as feed additive to mitigate enteric methane production in livestock.