Dietary energy losses of cattle influenced by body type, size, sex and intake

Abstract

ABSTRACTDigestibility (DE) and metabolizability (ME) of a single pelleted diet was examined with growing Angus and Holstein cattle. One hundred and ninety-one individual digestion trials were conducted with bulls, steers and heifers. Food was offered ad libitum or restricted with a daily meal frequency of four. Data were analysed by two covariate models. The first included relative dry matter intake (RDMI) defined as the ratio of DMI to body weight (M0·73). In the second model, covariates were defined by genetic-size scaling; the first covariate scaled DMI by mature weight (A) raised to the power 0·73 (DMI/A0·73) and the second covariate was degree of maturity (μ) defined as body weight divided by A. Model 2 also allowed separation of size and DMI effects. No breed differences were detected. There was a consistent trend for increasing ME and ME/DE from heifers to steers to bulls which was significant between heifers and the average of bulls and steers (575·3 v. 589·3 and 832·8 v. 844·3 J/kJ for ME and ME/DE, respectively). Independent of animal effects, DE, ME and urinary energy (UE) decreased and ME/DE and faecal energy (FE) losses increased as RDMI or DMI/A0·73 increased. Per unit rise in RDMI equivalent to maintenance, the corresponding changes for DE, ME, ME/DE, FE and UE were –33·9, –13·6, 21·3, 34·1 and 9·6 J/kJ, respectively. DE increased 1·5 and ME increased 0·8 J/kJ GE for each 01 unit increase in degree of maturity.