Browsing by Subject "bull"

In Finnish beef production, high quality silage is the main ingredient in bull nutrition. The aim is to maximize the growth potential of the bulls with ad libitum feeding, which increases the daily energy supply. The effect of the quality of the feed is emphasized, especially in ad libitum feeding. High quality and well-preserved silage increases palatability, which increases the daily feed rate. In addition, high quality silage reduces the need for concentrated feed, which means lower production costs than low-quality feed. The role of preservatives is to improve nutrient stability by preventing unfavorable fermentation and the growth of molds and yeasts during preservation. The failure of storage increases the costs of production, and the effects on farm economy are considerable. This study looked at the effect of two different types of silage additives on the feeding and production results of dairy bulls. 45 Ayrshires and 45 Holstein bulls were chosen to the study. The bulls were randomly divided into three groups. The groups consisted of three treatments: 1. timothy silage, without preservative + barley (CONTROL), 2. timothy silage, preserved with acid additive + barley (ACID), 3. timothy silage with salt additive + barley (SALT). The bulls were fed ad libitum with total mixed rations. The statistical analysis of the results was performed in the SAS software GLM procedure. The average intake of dry matter during the experiment (259 days) was 10.1 kg/day, and there were no significant difference between the treatments. The average live weight gain was 1363 g and the carcass gain was 741 g/day. The control group's daily growth was 5% higher than the preservatives (P <0.05), but the carcass quality score was on average 6% higher in the preservative groups than in the control group (P<0.01). It can be concluded that the results of the experiment are indicative and it is possible that the silage without additives can be successful when the dry matter content of the feed is 350-400 g / kg and the feed is ensiled in round bales. In that case the effect of the additives is not necessarily significant.