Influence of floor space allowance and access sites to feed trough on the production of calves and young bulls and on the carcass and meat quality of young bulls

Abstract

One‐hundred‐and‐twenty Danish Friesian (DF) bull calves were used in a 3 × 2 factorial experiment with three floor space allowances in pens with fully slatted floor and two feeding‐trough arrangements. The floor space per animal was 1.4 m2 (group L), 1.7 m2 (group M), and 2.5 m2 (group H) from approximately 100 kg to about 300 kg live weight (period I). From approximately 300 kg until slaughter at 460 kg live weight (period II), the space allowance was increased by about 25% to 1.8 m2, 2.2 m2 and 3.1 m2 per animal, respectively. The concentrate was fed ad libitum in troughs with five eating places per pen (5 places/5 animals) or in one self‐feeder per pen (1 place/5 animals). Besides concentrate, all the animals were fed chopped barley straw ad libitum in a separate trough. Increased floor space allowance did not affect daily feed intake in either period I or period II. An increased space allowance from L to M and H increased the growth rate in both period I (1357, 1402 and 1429 g/day; P = 0.05) and period II (1193, 1258 and 1340 g/day; P = 0.14). Correspondingly, the feed conversion ratio expressed as Scandinavian Feed Units (SFU) per kg gain was decreased in period I (4.03, 3.75 and 3.84; P = 0.01) and period II (6.62, 6.21 and 6.04; P= 0.l7). In the full experimental period, the average carcass gain was 665, 687 and 719 g/day for group L, M and H, respectively (P = 0.05); SFU per kg carcass gain was 9.92, 9.33 and 9.15 (P = 0.02). Floor space allowance did not significantly affect dressing percentage, EUROP classification (conformation, fatness), carcass composition or meat quality (colour, pigment, intramuscular fat, shear force value). The number of eating places did not significantly affect any of the observed traits.