Liver damage and the liveweight changes in Merino wether weaners grazing mixed crops of oats and sweet narrow-leafed lupins

1987 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
PW Morcombe ◽  
KP Croker ◽  
JG Allen
Keyword(s):  
Liver Damage ◽  
Previous Experiment ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Phomopsis Leptostromiformis ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Stocking Rates ◽  
Mixed Crops

Merino wether weaners were grazed on mixed crops of oats and sweet lupins at 3 stocking rates (15, 30 and 60 sheep/ha), pure lupins (60 sheep/ha) or pastures (7.5 sheep/ha) with and without an ad libitum ration of an oat-lupin grain mix in 2 experiments. Changes in liveweights and liver damage due to lupinosis were measured. In experiment 1, when grazing commenced in late January 1982, the weaners grazed on the mixed crops at 15, 30 and 60 sheep/ha gained 4.8 kg over 91 days, 2.9 kg over 43 days and 1.2 kg over 43 days, respectively, while those on the pure lupins gained 0.7 kg over 14 days. These liveweight gains were all less (P<0.05) than the 10 kg increase over 70 days by the weaners on pasture which received the ad libitum supplement of oat-lupin grain (about 2.2% N). Liver damage developed at a slower rate in the sheep on the mixed crops. In experiment 2, when grazing commenced in late November 1983, the weaners grazed on the mixed crops at 15,30 and 60 sheep/ha gained 1 1.3 kg over 70 days, 6.2 kg over 42 days and 3.5 kg over 28 days, respectively, while those on the pure lupins gained 3.4 kg over 28 days. These liveweight gains compared with a 12.5 kg gain over 84 days by the weaners on pasture which received the ad libitum supplement of oat-lupin grain (about 2.60%N). There was less Phomopsis leptostromiformis on the lupin stems in this experiment and the sheep livers were not as badly damaged as in the previous experiment. The development of liver damage was again delayed in the weaners grazed on the mixed crops. It was concluded that Merino wether weaners can increase liveweights when grazed on mixed crops of oats and sweet lupins. The amount of increase depends on the grain available to the sheep and the degree of lupinosis-associated liver damage suffered by the sheep. Grazing mixed crops reduces the development of lupinosis.

Utilization of lupin stubbles by merino sheep: studies of animal performance, rates and time of stocking, lupinosis, liver copper and zinc, and circulating plasma enzymes

1979 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 551 ◽  
Author(s):  
KP Croker ◽  
JG Allen ◽  
DS Petterson ◽  
HG Masters ◽  
RF Frayne
Keyword(s):  
Liver Damage ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Zinc Level ◽  
Copper Level ◽  
Liver Copper ◽  
Plasma Enzymes ◽  
Copper And Zinc ◽  
Phomopsis Leptostromiformis ◽  
Zinc Levels ◽  
Stocking Rates

Three experiments were conducted in the West Midland region of Western Australia to evaluate the sheep-carrying capacity of dry narrow-leafed sweet lupin (Lupinus angustifolius cv. Uniharvest) stubbles. In addition, the effect of stocking rate on lupinosis, and the effect of lupinosis on circulating plasma enzymes and liver copper and zinc levels were determined. At low stocking rates (25 or less ha-1) sheep were grazed for up to 80 days with increases in liveweight. However, with higher stocking rates (50 or 75 ha-1) the maximum weights obtained were lower, and reached after a shorter period of time. Sheep grazed at the high stocking rates suffered more liver damage than those grazed at low rates, and it is suggested that outbreaks of clinical lupinosis might be precipitated by grazing sheep at high rates. Sheep that grazed the stubbles and suffered liver damage had higher liver copper levels than those that suffered no damage. Also, there was an indication that the degree of liver damage and the liver copper level were directly related. It is suggested that the toxins of Phomopsis leptostromiformis cause the liver to take up and store copper. A significant negative correlation between the degree of liver damage and the liver zinc level was found. However, it was not determined whether this diminishment of liver zinc was a direct effect of the toxins of P. leptostromiformis or due to displacement by copper which was actively being taken up. Plasma levels of ornithine carbamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase and aspartate amino transferase, measured during or at the end of the experiments, were not related to the degree of terminal liver injury. They are not considered reliable indicators of the incidence or severity of lupinosis in the field.

Monitoring the toxicity of lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) stubbles has limited value in the prevention of lupinosis

1992 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 707
Author(s):  
PW Morcombe ◽  
JG Allen ◽  
GR Hancock ◽  
RH Jacob ◽  
DL Hopkins
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Infection ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Liver Damage ◽  
Lupinus Angustifolius ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Environmental Stimulus ◽  
Visual Rating ◽  
Toxic Product ◽  
Phomopsis Leptostromiformis

Lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) stubbles at 3 'sentinel' sites in the Midlands Region of Western Australia were monitored throughout the summer of 1985-86 to assess the level of infection of the stems by the fungus Phomopsis leptostromiformis, and to measure the concentration of its toxic product, phomopsin A. These parameters were found to have little value as predictors of fungal infection and of the toxicity of lupin stubbles on farms in surrounding districts. It was found also that visual rating of the level of P. leptostromiforrnis infection of lupin stems was unrelated to the concentration of phomopsin A in those stems or to the liver damage in sheep grazing stubble from which the stems were sampled. It is suggested that these ratings should not be used to advise farmers on the 'lupinosis risk' of a lupin stubble. Monitoring the phomopsin A concentration in lupin stems collected throughout a summer confirmed that rain, associated with cloudy days, was the primary environmental stimulus to a significant increase in the phomopsin A concentration.

The influence of straw quality and level of concentrate in a completely mixed diet on intake and growth rate in steers

1988 ◽  
Vol 1988 ◽  
pp. 58-58
Author(s):  
M. Kay ◽  
G. W. Reid ◽  
E. R. Orskov
Keyword(s):  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Previous Experiment ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Spring Barley ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Finishing Cattle ◽  
Complete Diet ◽  
Beet Pulp ◽  
Straw Quality ◽  
Ad Libitum

Results from a previous experiment with growing steers showed that straw from varieties of winter and spring barley or winter wheat supported different intakes and rates of gain. It was possible to identify those cereal straws most suitable for inclusion in low cost diets for beef cattle. The object of this work was to assess whether complete diets containing a minimum of 35% “good” straw could sustain a high rate of gain in finishing cattle. The trial used 45 Hereford cross steers that weighed 360 kg at the start. There were three types of straw examined; straw from the spring barley variety Corgi, untreated (UC) and ammonia treated (AC) together with ammonia treated winter wheat (AW) cv. Longbow;. Each straw type was included in a complete diet containing either 0.35 (L), 0.45 (M) or 0.55 (H) straw. Ammonia treatment was carried out in an oven with 0.03 anhydrous ammonia for 24 hours. The straw was processed through a tub grinder and the chopped material was transferred to a mixer wagon for diet preparation. All the diets contained fishmeal and urea and equal proportions of rolled barley and molassed sugar beet pulp substituted for the straw. The complete diets were offered ad libitum and the steers were weighed fortnightly until they were estimated to provide carcasses in MLC fat class 4L. Digestibility data for each diet was derived in a subsidary trial using cattle fed ad libitum. The digestibility coefficients for D11 were 0.67 UC; 0.68 AW; 0.69 AC and 0.66 H; 0.68 M; 0.70 L (S.E.D. ± 0.66).

Effect of fibre supplementation on dag formation and flystrike in sheep grazing spring pastures

2006 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 783 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. S. Davidson ◽  
S. J. Chaplin ◽  
C. Laird
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
Crossover Trial ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Fecal Egg Count ◽  
Fibre Treatment ◽  
Wet Weight ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Low Levels

Sheep on spring pastures may scour excessively due to the low levels of neutral detergent fibre. Scouring leads to dag formation, which predisposes sheep to flystrike, particularly in the breech area, posing a considerable challenge to sheep producers. This trial was undertaken to test whether supplementing sheep on spring pasture with fibre would reduce diarrhoea and thereby reduce dag formation and flystrike. Four hundred first-lambing Merino ewes were randomly allocated to control (no fibre supplementation) and fibre treatment (ad libitum cereal hay or wheat straw supplementation) groups in a 2-paddock crossover trial, which was conducted from August through the spring flush to crutching in October. The bulk fecal egg counts of each group were no different at the start of the trial but the fibre group had a higher (P<0.05) fecal egg count than the control at crutching. Fecal egg count was not correlated with dag score. Fecal dry matter percentage was higher (P<0.05) in the fibre group but there was no difference in dag wet weight or dry matter percentage between the treatment groups. Dag scores of a sample of 100 sheep from each group were significantly (P<0.01) lower at crutching. There was no difference between the groups in the incidence of flystrike, however, there were significantly (P<0.001) more sheep with high dag scores (>3) in the control group than the fibre treatment group. These results indicate that the supplementation of spring pasture with low quality hay or straw can reduce dag formation by improving the consistency of feces and, thereby, reduce the number of sheep with dag scores greater than 3.

The performance of young sheep grazing pastures sown to combinations of lucerne or subterranean clover with ryegrass or phalaris

1972 ◽  
Vol 12 (56) ◽  
pp. 240 ◽  
Author(s):  
KFM Reed ◽  
RW Snaydon ◽  
A Axelsen
Keyword(s):  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Legume Species ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Wool Production ◽  
High Production ◽  
Supplementary Feed ◽  
Stocking Rates ◽  
Clover Pasture

Young sheep were rotationally grazed, at two stocking rates, on pasture sown to combinations of two legume species (lucerne or subterranean clover) and two grass species (a mixture of annual and biennial ryegrass or phalaris) at Canberra. Liveweight gains were 45 per cent greater, and wool production was 10 per cent greater, on the lucerne dominant pasture (87 per cent lucerne) than on the grass dominant subterranean clover pasture (8 per cent subterranean clover). The differences were maximum during summer, but also occurred during spring. Mortality and supplementary feed requirement on grass dominant pasture was double that on lucerne pasture. Liveweight gains were 13 per cent greater on pasture sown to ryegrass than on pasture sown to phalaris. Sheep mortality was eight times greater on the phalaris than on the ryegrass pasture, and survival feed requirements at least double. The superior animal production from lucerne pasture was due mainly to the ability of lucerne to grow during periods of low rainfall and to maintain a high production of legume in the pasture.

Responses to supplements by weaned lambs grazing mature pasture or eating hay in yards

1985 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 289 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Freer ◽  
H Dove ◽  
A Axelsen ◽  
JR Donnelly ◽  
GT McKinney
Keyword(s):  
Substitution Rate ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Sunflower Meal ◽  
Wool Production ◽  
Grazed Pasture ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Stocking Rates ◽  
Daily Gain ◽  
Supplement Intake

Weaned crossbred lambs grazing mature pasture in summer at stocking rates of 14, 28 or 42 lambs/ha were supplemented for 60 days with 0, 400, 600 or 800 g/day of either sunflower meal or a 1:1 mixture of sunflower meal and oats. Mean daily gains in fasted weight without and with supplement were - 51 and 62 g, respectively, with no significant difference between the three feeding levels. Greasy wool production increased from 4.7 g/day without supplement to 9.9 g/day at the 600 or 800 g level but the composition of the supplement had no effect. Stocking rate had no effect on animal performance. It was estimated that pasture intake increased slightly with the first 400 g of supplement but fell sharply as the level increased further, with a substitution rate of 1.3. In two experiments, yarded lambs were offered oaten or lucerne hay ad libitum and mixtures of sunflower meal and oats at levels from 400 g/day to ad libitum. Mean daily gain in fasted weight increased from about 140 to about 190 g/day over this range of supplementation and greasy wool production from about 9 to about 10 g/day. In one experiment weight gain and wool production were significantly lower with a 1:6 mixture of sunflower meal and oats than with a 1:2 mixture and the same trend was shown in the other experiment. Measurements of intake showed that the substitution rate for both types of hay was only about 0.5. Comparisons of the animals' estimated requirements and intake in all three experiments indicated that the relatively poor performance of grazing animals was due to the very high substitution rate for grazed pasture at levels of supplement intake above 400 g/day.

A Comparative Study of Sheep Grazing a Semi-Arid Saltbush Pasture in Two Condition Classes.

1986 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 46 ◽  
Author(s):  
RD Graetz
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Landsat Imagery ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Wool Production ◽  
Broken Hill ◽  
Wool Growth ◽  
Stocking Rates

Measurements were made of the wool growth, body weight gain and diet of sheep grazing a saltbush pasture near Broken Hill, N.S.W. The experiment utilized a fenceline contrast in saltbush (Atriplex vesrcarra) density that was visible on Landsat imagery. It ran for five years (1976-1981) with a design of two pasture types by two stocking rates. Fleece weights varied from 3.9-6.0 kg/head and wool production from 0.6-2.9 kg/ha. Neither wool production per head nor bodyweight were substantially affected by stocking rate or pasture type. The composition and quality of the diets selected by sheep on both pastures were identical and of high nutritional value indicating their capability to accommodate differences in pasture composition. Pasture quality was not limiting between stocking rates or determined by the abundance of saltbush. Changes in pasture composition resulting from grazing and exclosure were small and of no significance.

The effect of systems of grassland management and winter feeding on the productivity of an 18-month grass-cereal beef system

1978 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-107
Author(s):  
J. B. Moran ◽  
W. Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Grassland Management ◽  
Metabolizable Energy ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Field System ◽  
Grass Silage ◽  
Grazing System ◽  
Grazing Systems ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Stocking Rates

ABSTRACTExperiments in two successive years with 24 cattle compared a six-paddock grazing system with a simpler two-field system. In each system the whole area was cut for conservation once during the season. The two systems were stocked each at 3·9 or 6·5 cattle/ha. In the following winters the cattle were offered grass silage (1974) or dried lucerne pellets (1975) ad libitum with two levels of barley.Daily gains on pasture were depressed by the higher stocking rate but there was no difference between grazing systems. The yield of conserved grass was least on the high stocking rate two-field system. The estimated output of utilized metabolizable energy per hectare was highest on the high stocking rate paddock grazing system but the output from the low stocking rate two-field system was almost as high. It was concluded that the latter system was valuable in many practical situations. Cattle that had been grazed at low stocking rates finished earlier in winter. There was some evidence of winter compensation in cattle weight gain on diets with dried lucerne pellets but not on grass silage diets.

Effects of replacing barley/soya with malt distillers grains (draff) in silage based complete diets for dairy cows

1989 ◽  
Vol 1989 ◽  
pp. 64-64
Author(s):  
J J Hyslop ◽  
D J Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Previous Experiment ◽  
Distillers Grains ◽  
Dry Matter Intake ◽  
Design Experiment ◽  
Early Lactation ◽  
Grass Silage ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Friesian Cows

In a previous experiment outlined at last year's conference (Hyslop and Roberts, 1988), it was demonstrated that replacement of a proprietary pelleted concentrate with malt distillers grains (draff), should be limited to 15% of total dry matter intake (DMI) when draff is offered in two feeds per day. However there is little evidence to validate such a limitation when draff is used as a concentrate replacement in complete diets. This experiment examined the effect of replacing barley/soya with draff plus additional minerals in silage based complete diets.In a cyclic changeover design experiment consisting of 4 three week periods, fifteen British Friesian cows in early lactation were offered five treatments. Cows were given ad libitum access to one of five complete diets based on grass silage (69 “D”). Draff plus additional minerals gradually replaced barley/soya at increasing rates in diets 0-4 respectively.

The effect of stage of maturity in sheep upon intake and digestion of roughage diets

1982 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 1099 ◽  
Author(s):  
JK Egan ◽  
PT Doyle
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Particle Size Distribution ◽  
Retention Time ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Quality Measurements

In two experiments, weaner (15-17 kg liveweight) and mature (40-45 kg) Merino wethers were fed ad libitum on three chopped hays of varying quality. Measurements were made of intake and digestion of organic matter (OM) and cell wall content (CWC), retention time of a digesta marker, and the particle size distribution of CWC recovered in the faeces. When offered subterranean clover hay (OM digestibility 70 %) the weaners consumed 19 % more OM (g/kg0.75) than did the mature wethers, but the digestibilities of OM and CWC were similar for each age group. Possible reasons for this variation in intake are discussed. Intake and digestion of OM and CWC were similar for both groups given the two poorer hay diets (OMD, 56 and 46 %), but several weaners could not be sustained for long periods on the poorer of the two diets. Implications for young sheep grazing dry pastures are discussed.

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