Factors affecting birth weight and performance to weaning of beef calves in the dry tropics of north Queensland

1978 ◽  
Vol 18 (93) ◽  
pp. 494 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Winks ◽  
PK O'Rourke ◽  
PC Venamore ◽  
R Tyler

Data from 533 calves from 321 Shorthorn cows at 'Swan's Lagoon', north Queensland, were analysed by the least-squares method. Calves were sired by either Sahiwal or Brahman bulls. Birth weights, growth rates and corrected 180-day weights were comparable in Brahman and Sahiwal cross calves. Age of dam had a significant effect on performance with cows 5-8 years and 9+ years producing heavier calves than cows 3-4 years of age. Calves born early in the season were significantly superior to calves born later and males outperformed females throughout, being 8-9 per cent heavier at 180 days. Pre-calving weight of the cow was positively correlated with calf growth rate and 180 day weight. Calf gains were inversely related to cow gains from birth to weaning. Calf birth weight was significantly correlated with calf growth rate and 180-day weight.

1988 ◽  
Vol 111 (2) ◽  
pp. 363-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Ruvuna ◽  
T. C. Cartwright ◽  
H. Blackburn ◽  
M. Okeyo ◽  
S. Chema

SummaryData on gestation period of 701 indigenous East African and Galla does and pre- and postweaning growth of 810 pure-bred and cross-bred kids were analysed by least squares statistical analysis. Breeds of kids were East African, Galla, Toggenburg × East African, Toggenburg × Galla, Anglo-Nubian × East African and Anglo-Nubian × Galla. Average gestation length was 149 days and was significantly (P < 0·05) affected by type of birth of the kid, year–month of kidding, and age of dam. Does carrying twins had shorter gestation length than does carrying singles. Sex and breed of kid did not have significant effect on gestation length.Significant (P < 0·05) factors affecting birth weight, weight at 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 210 and 270 days of age, and preweaning growth rate were breed and sex of kid, type of birth, year–month and age of dam. Male kids grew faster and were heavier than females. Kids born single were heavier and grew faster than twin-born kids. Kids from dams less than 3 years old weighed less than kids from older dams. Cross-bred kids had higher preweaning growth rates than indigenous pure-bred kids. The Anglo-Nubian × Galla cross was heaviest while the East African ranked lowest. The results point to importance of cross-breeding with temperate breeds to increase growth rates of indigenous goats. Comparison of Toggenburg and Anglo-Nubian sires for cross-breeding showed both buck breeds produced kids with roughly equal growth rates. Evaluation of indigenous Galla and East African dams for cross-breeding showed Galla dams produced heavier kids than East African but preweaning growth rates were not significantly different.


1975 ◽  
Vol 15 (74) ◽  
pp. 314 ◽  
Author(s):  
AG Kaiser ◽  
GH O'Neill

Three experiments were conducted in which dairy cows multiple suckled beef x dairy cross calves during early lactation. After weaning calves grazed nitrogen fertilized kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum). In the first experiment each cow suckled two, three or four calves for 12 weeks. Pre-weaning calf growth rate increased significantly (P < 0.01) as the number of calves suckled was reduced, In the second experiment, calves suckled at three per cow for 6, 9 or 12 weeks gained at similar rates to weaning, reaching weaning liveweights of 52, 64 and 72 kg respectively. Neither the number of calves suckled in experiment 1 nor the length of the suckling period in experiment 2 significantly affected post-weaning growth rates. In the third experiment there was no significant difference between the growth rates of calves sired by Friesian and Angus bulls. After weaning, stocking rate treatments were imposed, there being a significant (P < 0.05) but small linear decline in growth rate as stocking rate was increased. The post-weaning growth rates of calves in all three experiments were poor when compared with growth rates reported for calves grazing temperate pastures.


1980 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. Rowlands

SummaryBlood samples were taken at 9, 10 and 11 weeks of age from 230 male Hereford × Friesian calves, the progeny of 12 Hereford bulls. Concentrations of blood glucose, serum albumin, inorganic phosphate and sodium were measured and correlated with body weights and growth rates until slaughter at 19½ months of age.Correlations between growth rates and glucose concentrations (0·44) and between growth rates and albumin concentrations (0·38) were observed until 4 months of age. Similar correlations between body weights and blood glucose or albumin concentrations persisted until 6 months of age. By 10 months, however, the correlations had begun to decline, and by slaughter they had become insignificant.Correlations between growth rates and inorganic phosphate or sodium concentrations were smaller, and also decreased with age.The effect of hypoglycaemia on growth rate was compared with the effect of enzootic pneumonia. Although the 10% of calves with the lowest glucose concentrations were growing 24% more slowly than the other calves at the time of sampling, this growth depression was not related to pneumonia, and they subsequently made up for most of the early loss of growth.Three blood samples were also taken from 22 Hereford bulls. No significant correlations were observed between the blood composition of the bulls and the body weights or weight gains of their progeny.


2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 314-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shakil Quayes ◽  
Tanweer Hasan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between financial disclosure and the financial performance of microfinance institutions (MFIs). Design/methodology/approach – The paper utilizes ordinary least squares method to analyze the impact of disclosure on financial performance, an ordered probit model to investigate the possible effect of financial performance on disclosure and utilizes a three-stage least squares method to delineate the endogenous relationship between disclosure and financial performance of MFIs. Findings – The paper finds that better disclosure has a statistically significant positive impact on operational performance of MFIs; second, it also shows that improved financial performance results in better financial disclosure. Keeping the endogenous nature of the relationship between disclosure and performance, the paper uses a three-stage least squares method to show that disclosure and financial performance positively affect each other simultaneously. Research limitations/implications – The paper attempts to delineate a positive association between better disclosure on financial performance of MFIs, which can be used for developing a better disclosure policy by management, formulating more effective guidelines for disclosure by the stakeholders and mandating more appropriate laws and uniform disclosure practice by regulators. Originality/value – This is the first study that uses a large number of MFIs from 75 countries; second, it uses a uniform scale of designating a disclosure rating (assigned by MIX Market) to show the relationship between disclosure and performance. Finally, it uses three-stage least squares method to address the possible endogeneity between disclosure and performance.


<em>Abstract.</em>—We investigated factors affecting growth of larval striped bass <em>Morone saxatilis </em>in the San Francisco Estuary from 1984 to 1993. We estimated ages and growth rates of larval striped bass from daily otolith increments. Mean annual growth rates of 6–14 mm standard length striped bass varied from 0.13 to 0.27mm/d, the lowest rate occurring in 1989 and the highest in 1992. The 1989 growth rate was significantly lower than all other years, and growth rates for 1992 and 1993 were significantly higher than all other years, but did not differ from one another. Differences in annual growth rates apparently were due mainly to differences in mean annual prey densities because growth rate increased as prey density increased. Compared to both laboratory measured growth rates and growth rates of field-caught Chesapeake Bay larvae, growth rates from the San Francisco Estuary appeared to be high for the food available, indicating that larvae can grow at relatively high rates even at low prey densities. Correlation analyses did not support density-dependent control of growth rates. Growth rate was not significantly related to mean annual conductivity, water temperature, mortality rates, or the juvenile abundance index, but was significantly and positively correlated with densities of 1-mm length-groups of 9–14-mm striped bass.


2011 ◽  
Vol 50 (No. 1) ◽  
pp. 14-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Krupa ◽  
M. Oravcová ◽  
P. Polák ◽  
J. Huba ◽  
Z. Krupová

Growth traits of purebred calves of six beef breeds (Aberdeen Angus &ndash; AA, Blonde d&rsquo;Aquitaine &ndash; BA, Charolais &ndash; CH,Hereford &ndash; HE, Limousine &ndash; LI and Beef Simmental &ndash; BS) born from 1998 to 2002 were analysed. Traits under study were birth weight (BW), weight at 120 days (W120), weight at 210 days &ndash; weaning weight (WW), weight at 365 days &ndash; yearling weight (YW) and average daily gains from birth to 120 days (ADG1), from birth to 210 days (ADG2), from birth to 365 days (ADG3), from 120 to 210 days (ADG4). General linear model with class effects of breed, dam&rsquo;s age at calving, sex, herd-year-season (HYS) and covariation of age at weighing was used for analyses. All effects significantly affected both weight and gain traits except for dam&rsquo;s age that was significant for BW, W120, YW and ADG3, and age at weighing that was significant for W120, WW, YW, ADG2, ADG3, ADG4. Estimated least squares means of growth traits were compared using Scheffe&rsquo;s multiple-range tests. Highest BW (40.57&nbsp;kg) and W120 (172.43 kg) were found for BA calves. BS calves had highest WW (260.30 kg), YW (424.07 kg), ADG1 (1&nbsp;154&nbsp;g), ADG2 (1 053 g), ADG3 (1 054 g) and ADG4 (1 098 g). Highest BW, YW, ADG3 and ADG4 were found for males-singles. Males-twins had highest W120, WW, ADG1 and ADG2. Calves descending from 5&ndash;7 years old dams had highest BW, W120, WW, ADG1, ADG2 and ADG4. The proportion of variability of growth traits explained by HYS effect (42.96&ndash;71.69%) was high, whereas proportions of variability explained by SEX effect (2.03&ndash;5.77%), age of dam (1.02&ndash;2.24%) and breed (1.05&ndash;2.21%) were low. Residuals accounted for 23.71 up to 53.79% of total variance. &nbsp;


1967 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 95 ◽  
Author(s):  
RF Parsons ◽  
RL Specht

In southern Australia, deep calcareous and deep siliceous sands each carry a distinctive assemblage of eucalypts. Three of these species with contrasting edaphic ranges were investigated: Eucalyptus baxteri, which is widespread on acidic soils and is never found on highly alkaline soils like the calcareous sands; E. incrassata, which is widespread on acidic and neutral soils, occurs occasionally on some highly alkaline soils, but is also absent from calcareous beach sands; and E. diversifolia, which is found on both acidic and highly alkaline soils and is widespread on calcareous beach sands. All three species occur on siliceous sands, with E. baxteri in wetter areas than the other two species. Comparative pot experiments in which typical calcareous and siliceous sands were used showed that: (1) E. baxteri is stunted by severe lime chlorosis when grown on calcareous sand, while the other two species are not affected. (2) E. baxteri markedly outyields the other two species on siliceous sands. It is suggested that E. baxteri is absent from calcareous sands because it is physiologically intolerant of highly alkaline soils, and that E. baxteri replaces the other two species on the wetter siliceous sands because its faster growth rate enables it to outcompete them when rainfall is adequate. However, the slower growth rates of E. diversifolia and E. incrassata will be accompanied by slower rates of water use and this may give them an advantage over E. baxteri on drier siliceous sands. The wide edaphic range of E. diversifolia is considered to be the outcome of the wide physiological tolerance of individual plants rather than of intraspecific differentiation.


1955 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 308 ◽  
Author(s):  
PG Schinckel

Observations are reported on factors affecting the ratio of secondary to primary follicles (SJP) in a flock of Merino sheep.It was found that all follicles were initiated prior to birth but that the number which finally came to maturity (production of fibre) was significantly affected by birth weight and growth from birth to 1 month. Growth at later ages appeared to be unimportant. There was a significant correlation (r = +0.29) between birth weight and log potential S/P at birth. This is interpreted to indicate that while pre-natal growth conditions affect the number of follicles initiated, other factors are also of considerable importance. It is concluded that the larger animals at birth also have a greater total number of primary follicles than smaller animals. It is further concluded that this difference in total primary follicles results primarily from differences in size a t the 90th day of pre-natal life rather than from differences in density a t that time.


2001 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 715 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. W. Hennessy ◽  
S. G. Morris ◽  
P. G. Allingham

Tender, juicy and flavoursome are desirable meat traits in the grading system of Meat Standards Australia. There are 3 critical growth phases affecting these traits in domestic trade cattle: birth to weaning (phase I), weaning to feedlot entry (phase II), and feedlot finishing (phase III). In the study reported in this paper we examined the effects of supplementary feeding of cows and/or calves in phase I on calf growth rate during each of the 3 growth phases and assessed whether differences in early growth were recorded in carcass weights and meat quality at slaughter (16.5 months old). The calves were weaned on to high quality pastures (phase II) and then finished in a feedlot on a grain-based diet (phase III). One-hundred Hereford cows with Angus-sired calves, and 24 Hereford cows, with Hereford-sired calves were allocated to treatments in a 2 × 3 factorial study of calf growth rate during phase I. The treatments consisted of nil or 4.2 kg twice-a-week of cottonseed meal to the cows for 145 days from calving to mid-lactation, and calves either had access to a high protein barley-based supplement in a ‘creep’ from 75, or from 150 days old until weaning. There were 4 replicate groups for each treatment during phase I with 24 paddocks. Weaners were grazed as a single herd during phase II of the study and separated into 10 feedlot pens in phase III. At slaughter, after phase III, M. longissimus et laborum muscle was sampled from half the carcasses and graded by a taste panel according to Meat Standards Australia. Calves, suckled by cottonseed meal-supplemented cows, were heavier at weaning than those calves suckled by non-supplemented cows (201 v. 170 kg; phase I) with a trend for younger calves with access to ‘creep’ feeding (from 75 days old) to be heavier than calves without access to ‘creep’ feed (196 v. 175 kg). During phase II, liveweight change was higher for weaners from non-supplemented cows than for weaners from supplemented cows (679 v. 593 g/day). During phase III this trend was reversed in favour of weaners from cottonseed meal-supplemented cows (1.54 v. 1.46 kg/day). Similarly, carcasses of calves from cottonseed meal-supplemented cows were also heavier than other carcasses from other calves (226 v. 212 kg) with a greater depth of rib fat (7.0 v. 5.8 mm). In contrast to carcass weight, M. longissimus et laborum muscle samples from calves which did not have access to supplement during phase I were assessed as being more tender, more flavoursome and having a higher overall Meat Standards Australia score than M. longissimus et laborum muscle from calves that had access to supplements. The carryover effects of nutrition from the preweaning growth phase of calves highlight the importance of early life nutrition for achieving higher carcass weights and meat quality. However, the findings that M. longissimus et laborum samples from calves with lower growth rates before weaning were more tender and graded higher than samples from calves with higher growth rates was both unexpected and unexplained.


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