• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.63 no.5
• /
• pp.1086-1097
• /
• 2021

This study examined the impact of using total mixed ration (TMR) and concentrate on feed intake, daily gain, carcass yield grade, and carcass quality grade of Hanwoo steers and its subsequent economic efficiency. Thirty six 7-month-old Hanwoo steers were assigned to one of the four treatment groups, and each group was divided into three repeated pens, with each repeated pen comprising three steers. The treatment groups were: 1) separate feeding with commercial concentrate and forage (namely, SCF) for the entire experimental period; 2) TMR feeding for a growing period followed by SCF for the early and late fattening period (namely, TMRGSCF); 3) TMR feeding for growing and an early fattening period followed by SCF for the late fattening period (namely, TMREFSCF); and 4) TMR feeding for the entire experimental period (namely, TMRW). The results showed that the SCF treatment had significantly (p < 0.05) higher feed intake during the growing period than other treatments. In contrast, the total feed intake had little difference during early and late fattening as well as the whole period regardless of feeding strategies. Daily gain showed no difference during the growing period. However, it was significantly higher in SCF and TMREFSCF treatments for the early and late fattening period, respectively (p < 0.05). The daily gain during the total raising period is in the order of TMREFSCF > TMRGSCF > SCF > TMRW. Carcass characteristics, including carcass weight, loin eye muscle area, and carcass yield grade, did not significantly differ among different treatments. However, TMRW treatment, wherein TMR was fed for a long time, showed that the cold carcass weight was less compared with other treatments, but carcass yield grade was higher with thinner backfat. Backfat thickness was in the order of SCF > TMRGSCF > TMREFSCF > TMRW, showing that the thickness reduced with longer TMR feeding (p < 0.05). TMRGSCF, which numerically had a higher carcass quality grade, showed higher economic efficiency, whereas SCF showed low economic efficiency. In conclusion, it was more feasible to apply TMR strategy in the growing and early fattening period and then SCF for the early or late fattening period to improve carcass yield, quality grade, and economic efficiency.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.796-802
• /
• 2009

The effects of docking on growth traits, fattening performance, carcass characteristics and blood biochemical parameters were investigated using 24 fat-tailed Sanjabi single-born male lambs raised from a large commercial sheep herd. The lambs were randomly divided into two groups. One group (n = 12) were docked at two days of age with rubber-rings using an elastrator. The second group (n = 12) were left intact. After weaning (90 days), all lambs were moved to rustic rangelands for 40 days. Then all the lambs were fed concentrates ad libitum for 60 days during the fattening period. Growth traits, body weight and average daily gain (kg) were recorded at the end of the weaning and fattening periods. Blood biochemical parameters including urea, total protein, glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL) were measured during the fattening period. Finally, at the end of the fattening period, eight lambs (4 intact and 4 docked lambs) were slaughtered in order to determine carcass characteristics. Fat-tail docking had no effect (p>0.05) on lamb growth from birth to weaning. Body weight and average daily gain of docked lambs were significantly higher (p<0.05) than for intact lambs at the end of the fattening period. There was no difference in carcass measurements between the two groups, except for chest depth and leg weight which were higher (p<0.05) in docked lambs. During the fattening period, cholesterol and LDL of docked lambs were less than in intact lambs (p<0.05). The current results indicated that docking with rubber rings causes an improvement in growth traits during the fattening period and leads to desirable carcass characteristics compared to intact lambs; interestingly, this procedure had a significant effect on the lowering of blood cholesterol and LDL of docked lambs.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.65 no.1
• /
• pp.149-159
• /
• 2023

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of castration method and short-term fattening periods on Hanwoo cattle. Thirty-two Hanwoo calves (average body weight: 148.4 ± 19.8 kg) were used. The calves were randomly assigned in a 2 × 2 factor according to two castration methods (castration or hemi-castration) and two short-term finishing periods (24 months or 26 months). The final body weight increased significantly as the fattening period increased (p < 0.05), and the average daily weight gain was higher in the hemi-castration groups than in the castration groups (p < 0.05). After surgical castration, testosterone concentration was higher in the hemi-castration group than in the castration group during the entire experimental period (p < 0.05). The rib eye area was wider in the hemi-castration group than in the castration group (p < 0.01).An interaction effect was observed between the castration method and short-term fattening period (p < 0.05). Marbling and auction price scores differed between castration methods and were higher in the castration group than in the hemi-castration group (p < 0.01). Gross receipts and net income increased in the castration group compared to the hemi-castration group (p < 0.01) and showed a tendency to increase with the short-term fattening period, but there was no significant difference. Thus, castration to remove both testicles is essential for economic profit through producing high-quality Korean beef meat, and short-term fattening for 26 months, rather than 24 months, can benefit more by increasing carcass weight and meat quality.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.57 no.3
• /
• pp.14.1-14.7
• /
• 2015

A feeding trial was carried out to determine the effects of chromium methionine (Cr-Met) chelate and forage level over two years, $1^{st}$ fattening and $2^{nd}$ fattening period on growth parameters, carcass characteristics and blood metabolites of 46 Korean native (Hanwoo, Bos Taurus, $BW=183{\pm}44kg$) steers. Treatments were: 1) Steers in the low forage (LF) group were fed diets that consisted of 60% concentrate and 40% forage; 2) Steers in the high forage (HF) group were fed diets that consisted of 40% concentrate and 60% forage. Following the $1^{st}$ fattening period, steers ($BW=480{\pm}37.6kg$) were randomly assigned to four treatment groups: LF (40 F plus no Cr-Met supplementation in the $2^{nd}$ fattening period), LFCM (40LF plus added 400 ppb of Cr-Met during the $2^{nd}$ fattening period), HF (60 F plus no added Cr-Met during the $2^{nd}$ fattening period) and HFCM (60 F plus added 400 ppb of Cr-Met in the $2^{nd}$ fattening period). Dry matter intake of the treatment diets did not differ during the raising and $1^{th}$ fattening period (P > 0.05). The ADG in the raising period showed no difference between the 40 F and 60 F groups (P > 0.05). Carcass characteristics including rib-eye area and meat yield index were higher in HF than the other treatment groups (P < 0.05). The HF group tended to show a higher (P = 0.08) marbling score than the LF group whereas the HFCM group showed a higher marbling score than the LFCM group (P < 0.05). HDL was higher and LDL lower in groups fed with Cr-Met than in other groups whereas glucose showed the lowest value in HF group (P < 0.05). Triglyceride (TG), Cholesterol, PUN and total protein (TP) were the same among all treatment groups (P > 0.05). The Insulin concentration in the blood was significantly higher for the HFCM group than for the LF, LFCM and HF groups (P < 0.05). It is concluded that supplementation of chromium-methionine chelate could improve meat quality in beef steers.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.63 no.5
• /
• pp.1008-1017
• /
• 2021

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of different fattening periods on the growth performance, carcass characteristics, and economic traits of Holstein steers. Sixty Holstein steers (8.0 ± 0.28 months old) with an average body weight (BW) of 231.88 ± 2.61 kg, were randomly allocated to five different fattening period treatments: 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24 months (n = 12 in each treatment group). Final BW and average daily gain (ADG) did not differ among the treatment groups during the early fattening period. At the late stage of the fattening period, the final BW of steers in the 24-month treatment group (812.84 kg) was greater (p < 0.05) than that of steers in the 20-month treatment group (750.39 kg). During the same period, steers in the 20- and 21-month treatment groups had a significantly higher (p < 0.05) ADG than those in the 22-month treatment group. The highest ADG (1.36 kg/day) was found in the 20-month treatment group (1.36), followed by the 21- (1.33 kg/day), 22- (1.22 kg/day), 23- (1.21 kg/day), and 24- (1.14 kg/day) month treatment groups. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) increased as the fattening period increased, and the FCR was 12.88% lower in the 20-month treatment group than in the 24-month treatment group. However, no significant differences were detected in back-fat thickness, loin area, marbling score, and chemical characteristics (water, crude protein, and crude fat content) among the treatment groups. The composition of fatty acids including C18:0, C18:1, saturated fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acids, and poly-unsaturated fatty acids did not differ among the experimental groups. As the fattening period increased, production costs increased, resulting in a decrease in gross income. The gross income for steers in the 24-month treatment group was 35.8% and 23.5% lower than that for steers in the 20- and 21-month treatment groups, respectively. Taken together, the best performance, including the ADG, FCR, and gross income, was obtained when the fattening program of the Holstein steers lasted 20 months.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.44 no.1
• /
• pp.95-104
• /
• 2002

A study was conducted to evaluate feed intake of Hanwoo bulls and steers fed diets of compound feed and rice straw. Twenty bull calves and sixty steers at 5 to 7 months old were used. The experimental period was divided into three feeding stages which are growing period (〈300 kg body weight (BW)), early fattening period (300-450 kg BW) and late fattening period (〉450 kg BW). The animals were given the diets containing 14.1% crude protein (CP) and 70.0% total digestible nutrients (TDN) in the growing period, 12.1% CP and 70.6% TDN in the early fattening period, and 11.2% CP and 71.9% TDN in the late fattening period, respectively. Experiment 1 was designed to compare feed intake (as-fed basis) between Hanwoo bulls and steers fed the experimental diets ad libitum. In Experiment 2, Hanwoo steers were allocated in one of three compound feed feeding treatments to investigate feed intake (as-fed basis). The treatment groups were ① feeding level 1 group fed compound feed ad libitum through the whole periods; ② feeding level 2 group fed 1.0% compound feed per kg BW in the growing period, 1.5% compound feed per kg BW in the early fattening period and compound feed ad libitum in the late fattening period; and ③ feeding level 3 group fed 1.5% compound feed per kg BW in the growing period, 2.0% compound feed per kg BW in the early fattening period and compound feed ad libitum in the late fattening period. In Experiment 1, the average daily feed intake of bulls increased linearly through the whole experimental period while the feed intake of steers increased until their body weight was reached upto 521 kg, afterward reduced. Average daily feed intake was about 3.5% per kg BW of both bulls and steers at the beginning (150 kg BW) of Experiment 1 while bulls and steers at 600 kg BW consumed the diets of 2.0 and 1.5% per kg BW, respectively. In Experiment 2, the average daily feed intake of steers in the feeding level 1 group gradually increased through the growing and early fattening periods and then steadily reduced over the late fattening period. The average daily feed intake in the feeding level 2 group linearly increased through the whole period while the feed intake in the feeding level 3 group showed a relatively rapid increase and reached a peak at 455 kg BW, and then sharply dropped. The average daily feed intake of steers in the feeding level 1 at the beginning (150 kg BW) of Experiment 2 was about 3.5% per kg BW but there was a reduction (1.5% per kg BW) at 600 kg BW. Besides, The feed intake of steers in the feeding level 2 and 3 in which compound feed was given with limitation increased to 2.0-3.0% per kg BW in the growing period and then reduced to 1.5-2.0% per kg BW. The limited compound feed feeding of steers in Experiment 2 resulted in higher rice straw intakes up to two to three folds and two folds in the growing and early fattening periods, respectively, than the ad libitum feeding.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.62 no.3
• /
• pp.321-333
• /
• 2020

Beef quality is influenced by the fattening period. Therefore, meat metabolomics profiles from the different fattening periods (e.g., short-term vs. long-term) were analyzed for identify potential indicators using nuclear magnetic resonance. Additionally, blood, free fatty acid, sensory, and mineral compositions in Korean steers were determined. Blood, free fatty acid, and mineral concentrations showed significant differences between short-term and long-term groups that were fed different diets. However, there were no sensory differences in the two fattening groups. Additionally, the metabolic profiles of meats were clearly separated based on multivariate orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis. Six metabolites of variable importance in the projection plot were identified and showed high sensitivity as candidate markers for meat characteristics. In particular, lactate, carnosine, and creatine could be directly linked to scientific indicators of the fattening stage (31 vs. 28 mo) of meat. Our findings suggest that the metabolomics approach could be a powerful method for the detection of novel signatures underlying the managing period of beef.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.841-846
• /
• 2014

The present study was conducted to determine whether the two-step time-restricted feeding improves the fattening traits of one-step time-restricted feeding in geese. Thirty-six 8-wk-old geese were allotted into one of three groups. Group R1 (the 1-step restricted feeding group) was allowed access to feed for 2 h in the morning from 8 wk to 14 wk of age. Group R2 (the 2-step restricted feeding group) was treated as Group R1, but was additionally fed for 2 h in the afternoon from 12 wk to 14 wk of age. Group C (the control group) was fed ad libitum from 8 wk to 14 wk of age. Feed intake and body weight (BW) were recorded daily and weekly, respectively. At 14 wk of age, the blood samples were collected to determine the fasting plasma levels of glucose, triacylglycerols and uric acid before sacrifice. The results showed that daily feed intake (DFI) was lower, feed efficiency (FE) was higher in both Groups R1 and R2 than in Group C, and daily gain (DG) in Group R2 was higher than in Group R1 during the whole experimental period (p<0.05). Group R1 exhibited lower abdominal and visceral fat weights in carcass than did Group C (p<0.05), and Group R2 was in intermediate. The fasting plasma glucose levels in Group C were higher, and triacylglycerol levels in Group R1 were higher, compared with the other groups (p<0.05). It is concluded that time-restricted feeding in the fattening period not only increases FE but reduces DFI, and the additional meal during the late fattening period improves the DG without the expense of FE in geese.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.45 no.3
• /
• pp.483-490
• /
• 2003

The incidence of PSE(Pale, Soft, Exudative) pork by slaughter weight and handling conditions at preslaughtering stage such as fattening period, transport and lairage time were compared. The incidence of PSE pork were 24.9% when pigs were fed under 180 days and 18.9% when pigs were fed over 180 days for fattening. In the transport time from farm to slaughter house, the incidence of PSE pork were 46.6% for shorter than 30min and 45.65% for 30 min${\sim}$60 min and 35.44% for longer than 60min. The incidence of PSE pork were 55.6% for pigs had no lairage before slaughter, 33.9% for pigs held in lairage overnight. Therefore, the incidence of PSE pork were decreased by 6% with the extension of the fattening period and 9% with the transport time of longer than 1hr and 22.1% with lairage treatment before slaughter. The incidence of PSE pork were different in different location of farms and there were no significantly different in live weight, carcass weight and carcass yield between groups of lairage treatment. In conclusion, handling condition at preslaughtering stage such as extension of fattening period and lairage time were important to control pork quality and lairage treatment was not decreased the carcass yield.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
• /
• v.49 no.4
• /
• pp.647-656
• /
• 2022

The influence of fermented red ginseng (FRG) and red ginseng extract (RGE) on the growth, nutrient digestibility, and meat quality of growing-fattening pigs was evaluated in the present study. In total, 120 growing-fattening crossbred pigs with a bodyweight of 21.77 kg (_SE1.88) were allocated to 3 treatments with 8 repeats of 5 pigs (2 boars and 3 gilts) for a 22-week experimental period. The pigs were supplemented with a basal diet (CON group) or a basal diet containing 0.1% FRG or 0.1% RGE. Pigs fed the FRG diet had a higher (p < 0.05) average daily gain (ADG) from days 1 to 42 and during the whole period. The apparent nutrient digestibility of dry matter (DM) and nitrogen (N) was improved (p < 0.05) in the FRG treatment in week 6 and that of DM in week 10. Moreover, the drip loss of the meat from the FRG pigs was reduced (p < 0.05) on days 1, 5, 7, and 9. Taken together, this study revealed that the supplementation of 0.1% FRG in the diet improved the ADG and the apparent nutrient digestibility of DM and N and decreased the drip loss of the meat. However, the addition of RGE did not affect the growth of the growing-fattening pigs.