The effects of the plane of nutrition in early post-natal life on the subsequent growth and development of cattle

1966 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 375 ◽  
Author(s):  
ID Wardrop

The effect of the plane of nutrition in the first 13 weeks of post-natal life of cattle on their subsequent growth rate, body shape, and carcass composition up to 12 months of age was studied. No compensatory growth to 12 months of age was observed in calves reared to 13 weeks on low planes of nutrition. There were no significant differences between Friesian and Hereford x Friesian calves, or between males and females in empty body weight or weight gains. Treatment up to 13 weeks of age had no effect on heart girth, round, head length and width, and cannon bone length, but the remaining body measurements were reduced by low planes of nutrition during this period. Differences in carcass composition were largely a reflection of the differences in empty body weight. The carcasses of the males were heavier than those of the females and the females contained a higher proportion of fat. Carcass composition, as estimated by shin dissection, indicated that Friesian calves contained more muscle than the Hereford x Friesians, and the males more muscle than the females.

1964 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. K. Stephenson

1. Body shape and carcass composition have been measured in a dated series of Romney-Southdown cross and Australian Merino sheep foetuses.2. Large differences in shape exist between the two breed groups and these result from growth rate differences in certain components of the bone and muscle tissue.3. Carcass composition at any particular foetal weight, however, is more uniform. In relation to body weight, the Merino has a higher proportion of bone in the body but the proportion of muscle is the same in both breed groups. Nevertheless, the distribution of muscle tissue is changed as there s i a higher proportion of muscle in the hind limb of the Romney-Southdown cross.


1965 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Duckworth

SUMMARYThe growth and carcass data were determined for pigs reared on two creep rations to different weights, and subsequently fattened with and without an antibiotic.Pigs weaned at a ‘standard’ weight of 43·8 lb. at 56 days of age grew more quickly over the range 120 to 210 lb. live-weight than pigs weighing 51·0 lb. at weaning. Both groups were fed according to a fixed scale related to live-weight. Heavy weaners growing slowly in the later stages had slightly thicker backfat measurements, indicating that they were at a more advanced stage of physiological development than the light weaners.The presence of antibiotic in the fattening ration caused no significant difference in growth rate or carcass measurements, but there were significant interactions between weaning weight and presence or absence of antibiotic in the fattening ration for length of carcass, and between sex and presence or absence of antibiotic for the traits of age at 70 lb. live-weight, carcass length and depth of mid-backfat.Weaning weight and rate of gain from 70 to 120 lb. live-weight were significantly and positively related to carcass length.It is concluded that further studies of the growth curve of the pig are required to determine the scope and importance of compensatory growth, and the interaction of growth rates in the different phases of the pig's life and their relationships to carcass traits.


1979 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 945 ◽  
Author(s):  
BJ Fox

A laboratory breeding colony of R. l. lutreolus was used to obtain data on the growth in the length of head, hind foot, tail, head and body, and body weight during the first 130 days of life. The development of external body features was compared to that known for other Australian Rattus. The young are blind and naked at birth and are not fully furred until 13 days. Incisors are visible at day 8 (5-11) and erupt about day 12 (8-15) with the eyes opening at 17 days (15-18). Independence was achieved at about 25 days (23-30) with the first signs of reproductive maturity at about 60-70 days. Five stages of growth can be related to developmental features from teeth eruption to puberty and reproductive maturity. The onset of hearing (14-15) days appear to be as important in development as does the opening of the eyes. Body measurements show sigmoid relationships to a linear equivalence of weight (W*0.33), except for head and body length which is linear. R. l. lutreolus belongs to the fast-growing group in Australian murids. Measurements from laboratory-bred animals are in agreement with those for field animals, with head and body length the best single parameter for obtaining approximate ages.


1970 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Steczny ◽  
D. Kokoszynski ◽  
Z. Bernacki ◽  
R. Wasilewski ◽  
M. Saleh

The aim of the study was to compare the bodyweight and body measurements, carcass composition, and characteristics of major visceral organs in male and female Pekin ducks. A total of 80 hybrid SM3 Heavy ducks were kept in a conventional building and fed complete commercial diets ad libitum. The male and female were weighed individually at one day old and their bodyweight and body measurements were determined at 21, 35 and 49 days of rearing. On day 49, 20 males and 20 females were chosen for slaughter. After slaughter, the carcasses and visceral organs were collected. No significant differences were observed between males and females in bodyweight (1 d, 58.6 vs 56.3 g to 49 d, 3518 vs 3433 g) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) (0–49 d, 2.44 vs 2.49 kg/kg gain). At 35 days old males demonstrated a significantly longer body and shanks and, at 49 days old a significantly longer body than females. The sex of ducks had no significant effect on the percentage of wings, muscles from breast and legs, skin with subcutaneous fat, abdominal fat and carcass remainder. The neck content was significantly greater in male carcasses than female ones. The contents of proventriculus, liver, and spleen in the bodies of males and females were similar. Gizzard percentage was significantly greater in males, and heart percentage was significantly greater in females. Due to their high bodyweight, good FCR, and favourable carcass composition, SM3 Heavy male ducks are more useful as broiler duck than females.Keywords: carcasses, digestive system, growth, Pekin duck, sex


Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dariusz Kokoszyński ◽  
Rafał Wasilewski ◽  
Mohamed Saleh ◽  
Dariusz Piwczyński ◽  
Henrieta Arpášová ◽  
...  

Native breeds of ducks have been the subject of many studies in the past, yet the relevant knowledge is still incomplete and needs to be further expanded. The objective of this study was to provide information about differences in growth performance, dressing percentage, carcass composition and digestive morphometry among three lines of Pekin ducks from conservation flocks raised in Poland. The study used 180 sexed Pekin ducks—30 males and 30 females of line P33 (ducks of Polish origin), 30 males and 30 females of line P8 (ducks of Danish origin), and 30 males and 30 females of line P9 (ducks of French origin). Throughout the study (49 d), ducks were confined indoors in six pens. Birds were fed complete commercial diets ad libitum and had unrestricted access to water. The compared lines of ducks differed significantly in body weight from 1 to 49 d of age except of ducks of both sexes at 14 d. At 49 d of age, significant differences were observed between the tested ducks in all the body measurements. Duck genotype had a significant effect on preslaughter body weight, carcass weight and breast muscle, neck and remainders contents, caeca length, liver weight and gizzard percentage. The results show that the tested ducks were significantly different and unique, mainly in terms of the body biometric characteristics.


Author(s):  
A.R. Mantecon ◽  
G.R. Iason ◽  
A.D.M. Smith

During both food restriction and subsequent re-alimentation of sheep, the proportion of empty body weight formed by the gastro-intestinal components has been shown to change (Winter, Tulloh and Murray, 1976; Murray and Slezacek, 1988). The extent and nature of compensatory growth depends on the composition of the diet during restriction (Wilson and Osbourn, 1960). This study investigates the effect of rumen undegradable protein in the diet, during food restriction, on these processes. The hypotheses tested were that the protein:energy ratio of the diet during restriction to constant liveweight (LW) influences the relative proportions of the components of the digestive tract and its overall size as a proportion of empty body weight (EBW) a) during restriction and b) during subsequent growth on realimentation.


1979 ◽  
Vol 57 (12) ◽  
pp. 2369-2374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard A. Wishart

American wigeon (Anas americana) were studied throughout their annual cycle in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba between 1976 and 1978. Body measurements were obtained from 145 collected and 128 livetrapped birds. Collected birds were dissected and analyzed for lipid, protein, and water content, and organs and muscles were weighed. Similar measurements were made on two each of starved adult captive males and females to determine basal levels of reserves. The skeletons were excised from 13 other wigeon and the lipid-free dry weights of bone were determined. Body length + wing length was the best predictor of skeletal weight and could be used as a structural index (SI). Body weight varied greatly over the year and so is a poor indicator of structural size. The lipid and protein reserves were calculated and the total reserve weight was used as the condition index (CI) for each bird. Body weight/SI was a good predictor of CI but better estimates were obtained with plucked, eviscerated carcass weights. The best predictors of lipid reserves and protein reserves were weights of abdominal fat + skin fat and carcass weight/SI, respectively.


2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-20
Author(s):  
A. E. Sonubi ◽  
A. S. Adenaike ◽  
A. A. Dauda ◽  
T. P. Alao ◽  
B. O. Shonubi ◽  
...  

The indigenous chicken is a store house of unique genes that could be used in other parts of the world for improving other breeds. This study was carried out using bayesian principal component analysis and aimed objectively at determining the effect of sex on Nigerian indigenous normal feather chickens' body dimension, describing their body shape, and predicting their body weights from body measurements using orthogonal conformation traits derived from the principal components score. The parameters measured at 16 weeks of age were body weight, body length, breast girth, thigh length, shank length, shank diameter, keel length, wing length, wing span, and tail length on 233 randomly selected adult chickens. Sexual dimorphism was observed in all the traits with higher values recorded for males. Bayesian correlations among body weight and biometric traits were positive (r = 0.09 to 0.651 and 0.017 to 0.579 in male and female chickens respectively). The descriptive statistics showed that the mean body weight was 1.8085 ± 0.263 kg for males and 1.403 ± 0.226 kg for females. The first two principal components (PCs) were extracted for the males, both PCs components account for 72.21%. For the females, three PCs were extracted and they account for 77%. The first PC in each case accounted for the greatest percentage of the total variation. The use of orthogonal body shape characteristics derived from components' scores was more appropriate than the use of original traits in body weight prediction as multi-collinearity problems were eliminated. This led to simultaneous analysis of these body measurements rather than on individual basis. These components could be used as selection criteria for improving body weight of indigenous Nigerian chickens.


2012 ◽  
Vol 57 (No. 3) ◽  
pp. 115-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Kokoszyński ◽  
Z. Bernacki ◽  
Ł. Duszyński

Mongolian &times; Versicolor and common pheasants were investigated. Birds were kept in a confined, environmentally controlled facility without outdoor access and fed ad libitum commercial diets for slaughter pheasants. Body weight was determined at the end of 6, 10 and 13 weeks of rearing, and body weight and body measurements were determined in 16-week-old pheasants. At 16 weeks, 20 pheasants were taken from each genetic group for slaughter. After slaughter, pH<sub>15</sub> of muscles was determined and carcasses were dissected. Samples of breast and leg muscles were collected to determine water holding capacity, colour, and sensory properties of meat. Compared to common pheasants, Mongolian &times; Versicolor hybrids were characterized by similar body weight and body measurements except for length of trunk with neck in females. The carcasses of Mongolian &times; Versicolor pheasants of both sexes contained more breast muscles, leg muscles, skin with subcutaneous fat and abdominal fat. Differences in the values of these traits were not significant. Significant differences in the composition of carcasses from the groups under comparison were only found for the content of skin with subcutaneous fat and abdominal fat content in females, which were significantly higher (P &le; 0.05) in Mongolian &times; Versicolor females. The leg muscles had significantly higher pH<sub>15 </sub>in Mongolian &times; Versicolor females and significantly lower (P &le; 0.05) redness (a*) in males. Compared to the common pheasants, the breast muscles of Mongolian &times; Versicolor pheasants received lower scores for aroma and tenderness and higher scores for taste, whereas leg muscles had higher scores for intensity of aroma and taste, and lower scores for taste and tenderness. &nbsp; &nbsp;


2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Lewis ◽  
G. C. Emmans ◽  
G. Simm

AbstractSheep of a line selected on an index to increase carcass lean content at 150 days of age (selected (S); no. = 90), and an unselected control line (control (C); no. = 90), were given ad libitum foods of three different protein concentrations (192, 141 and 120 g/kg dry matter). Growth was measured from about 21 to 114 kg live weight. The carcasses of each line were analysed for lean, fat and bone at three widely varying weights in both males and females. Level of protein did not affect the extent to which S was superior to C in the content of fat (0.86 as much) or lean (1.08 as much) in the carcass. The fat concentration of the carcass increased, and the lean concentration decreased, as dietary protein concentration was reduced (P < 0.01). On the highest level of protein used, the S line grew 1.17 times as fast and was 1.10 times as efficient compared with C. The extent to which growth rate in S exceeded that in C was greater on the highest level of protein used (92.3 g/day) than on the two lower protein diets (26.4 g/day). The difference of 65.9 (s.e. 18.4) g/day was significant (P < 0.01). On the diet of highest protein concentration, growth was well described by a Gompertz function. The S line had an estimated maximum growth rate 1.25 times that of the C when averaged across males and females. A Spillman function was used to describe weight in terms of cumulative intake. It worked well for all three levels of dietary protein concentration. S sheep performed better than unselected sheep on foods differing in protein concentration and over a wide range of live weights, suggesting benefits are likely within the diverse farming environments found in practice.


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