Milk intake data were collected at 4-week intervals from Belgian Blue double-muscled (BBDM) suckling calves up to 16 weeks after birth. Dams were fed at 100%, 90%, 80% or 70% of their energy requirements during a 140-day indoor period from the beginning of December to the end of April (restriction period). Afterwards, cows were turned out on pasture (re-alimentation period). Mean calving date w...

Effects of partial docking on feedlot performance and body fat characteristics were studied in a fat-tailed sheep breed. Thirty-eight male lambs with an average weight of 4.44 ± 0.48 were randomly divided into two groups. The lambs in one group were partially docked at 3-4 h after birth, using rubber rings, and the lambs in another group remained intact (control). After weaning, 20 male lambs f...

In intensive pig production the weight of the weaned piglet has significant influence on the pig's later performance. The objective of this study is to estimate the relative impact of genetics, feeding, housing, and health factors on the weight gain during the nursing period. The study was performed as a cohort study in 3 farrow-to-finish herds. A technician visited the herds weekly and collect...

OBJECTIVE The present study investigated the litter performance of multiparous sows fed 3% and 6% densified diets at farrowing to weaning during summer with mean maximum room temperature of 30.5°C. METHODS A total of 60 crossbred multiparous sows were allotted to one of three treatments based on body weight according to a completely randomized design. Three different nutrient levels based on ...

Two studies were conducted to assess the effect of protein source and microencapsulated sodium butyrate (MSB) inclusion in pelleted starter mixtures on growth performance, gain feed (G:F) ratio, nutrient digestibility, selected blood metabolites calves. In study 1, 28 Holstein bull calves (8.7 ± 0.8 d age 43.0 4.4 kg; mean SD) allocated 1 4 treatments a 2 × factorial arrangement fed mixture con...

AIM This study examined the effects of creep feed (CF) supplementation (with or without Alfalfa) on the pre-weaning growth performance of nursing goat kids. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of forty eight (48), 7 days old, single born kids (live weight 4.4±0.09 kg) were divided into three treatment groups, each containing eight males and eight females. All three groups had access to their dams' ...

Selection was applied from 1964 to 1978 for increased weaning weight (WWL) or yearling weight (YWL) in two Hereford lines. An Angus line was maintained as an unselected control line (CL). Each line was maintained with 50 cows and four sires each year (two sires selected each year and used for 2 yr). Primary traits measured in the lines were birth weight (BW), preweaning daily gain (WDG), weanin...

The effects of altering litter size during the 5 days before weaning on interval to estrus of sows and postweaning performance of pigs were examined. Litters averaged 8.3 +/- .7 pigs from parturition until 5 days before weaning. Litters were then adjusted so that sows (five per group) nursed small- (three pigs), average- (eight pigs) or large-sized (13 to 14 pigs) litters during the last 5 days...

Female calves (n = 54) were assigned to 1 of 3 whole milk feeding treatments at an average age of 7 days and remained on treatment for 70 days. The treatments were twice-aday feeding with weaning at 56 days of age (TAD56); once-a-day feeding with weaning at 56 days of age (OAD56); and once-aday feeding with weaning at 42 days of age (OAD42). Calves were housed in groups of 9 and were fed 5 litr...

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of different feed types and method of feed presentation in the first 12 wk of life on the feeding behavior, intake, and growth of calves fed a high milk level. Forty-eight neonatal Holstein calves were individually housed and randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments and fed solid feed ad libitum: silage-based total mixed ration (TMR), concentra...