<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>The present experiment was conducted to study the performance of Hereford bulls offered diets based on whole-crop barley (WCB) and whole-crop wheat (WCW) silages relative to a moderately digestible grass silage (GS)-based diet with or without rapeseed meal (RSM) supplementation. The experiment comprised 30 bulls and a 3×2 factorial design was used. The bulls were offered silages <italic>ad libitum</italic>. In all forage diets (WCB, WCW, GS) the concentrate used was either rolled barley alone or rolled barley plus RSM. The amount of the concentrate supplementation was 37 g/metabolic live weight/animal/day for all treatments. The crude protein (CP) content of barley was 126 g/kg dry matter (DM) and the CP content of the concentrate increased 23% with RSM supplementation. Average live weight gains (LWG) for the GS, WCB and WCW feedings were 1411, 1331 and 1181 g/d, respectively. Differences in diet digestibility and energy intake probably explain the differences in LWG among the forage types. RSM supplementation increased both silage and total DM intake in the WCB and WCW feedings but not in the GS feeding. Furthermore, RSM supplementation increased LWG 7 and 17% in the WCB and WCW feedings, respectively, but only 2% in the GS feeding.</p></abstract>

The present experiment was conducted to study the performance of Hereford bulls offered diets based on whole-crop barley (WCB) and whole-crop wheat (WCW) silages relative to a moderately digestible grass silage (GS)-based diet with or without rapeseed meal (RSM) supplementation. The experiment comprised 30 bulls and a 3×2 factorial design was used. The bulls were offered silages ad libitum. In all forage diets (WCB, WCW, GS) the concentrate used was either rolled barley alone or rolled barley plus RSM. The amount of the concentrate supplementation was 37 g/metabolic live weight/animal/day for all treatments. The crude protein (CP) content of barley was 126 g/kg dry matter (DM) and the CP content of the concentrate increased 23% with RSM supplementation. Average live weight gains (LWG) for the GS, WCB and WCW feedings were 1411, 1331 and 1181 g/d, respectively. Differences in diet digestibility and energy intake probably explain the differences in LWG among the forage types. RSM supplementation increased both silage and total DM intake in the WCB and WCW feedings but not in the GS feeding. Furthermore, RSM supplementation increased LWG 7 and 17% in the WCB and WCW feedings, respectively, but only 2% in the GS feeding.

Feed Intake and Live Weight Gain of Hereford Bulls Offered Diets Based on Whole-Crop Barley and Whole-Crop Wheat Silages Relative to Moderately Digestible Grass Silage with or without Protein Supplementation

Annals of Animal Science

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The present experiment was conducted to study the performance of Hereford bulls offered diets based on whole-crop barley (WCB) and whole-crop wheat (WCW)...

Feed Intake and Live Weight Gain of Hereford Bulls Offered Diets Based on Whole-Crop Barley and Whole-Crop Wheat Silages Relative to Moderately Digestible Grass Silage with or without Protein Supplementation

Published Online: Oct 27, 2017

Page range: 1123 - 1134

Received: Jan 02, 2017

Accepted: May 12, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/aoas-2017-0007

Keywords
beef production, bulls, growth, rapeseed meal, whole-crop silages

© 2017 Arto Huuskonen et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Feed Intake and Live Weight Gain of Hereford Bulls Offered Diets Based on Whole-Crop Barley and Whole-Crop Wheat Silages Relative to Moderately Digestible Grass Silage with or without Protein Supplementation

Published Online: Oct 27, 2017

Page range: 1123 - 1134

Received: Jan 02, 2017

Accepted: May 12, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/aoas-2017-0007

Keywordsbeef production, bulls, growth, rapeseed meal, whole-crop silages

© 2017 Arto Huuskonen et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
beef production, bulls, growth, rapeseed meal, whole-crop silages