Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine the effects of silage plant species (faba bean and field pea based whole crop legume-cereals vs. grass) on performance and meat quality of growing Aberdeen Angus (AA) and Nordic Red (NR) bulls. A 2×3 factorial design was used. The experiment comprised 30 AA and 30 NR bulls. Both breeds were randomly allotted to the three feeding treatments. The compositions (g kg-1 dry matter) of diets were: 1) grass silage (650) plus rolled barley (350), 2) faba bean-wheat silage (650) plus rolled barley (350) and 3) pea-wheat silage (650) plus rolled barley (350). The experimental diets were offered as total mixed rations ad libitum. The AA bulls grew faster, had better feed conversion rates and superior dressing proportion and carcass conformation compared to the NR bulls. Replacing grass silage by whole crop legume-cereal silages in the diet did not have remarkable effects on animal performance, carcass characteristics or meat quality.
Highlights
Beef production in Finland is mostly based on the dairy breeds, and Nordic Red (NR) and Holstein are the two most frequently used breeds (Niemi and Ahlstedt 2014)
The Aberdeen Angus (AA) bulls grew faster, had better feed conversion rates and superior dressing proportion and carcass conformation compared to the NR bulls in line with numerous earlier studies comparing beef and dairy breeds
The present results suggest that AA bulls produced healthier meat with a lower n6/n3 fatty acid ratio and higher cis-9, trans-11 18:2 CLA concentration compared to NR bulls
Summary
Beef production in Finland is mostly based on the dairy breeds, and Nordic Red (NR) and Holstein are the two most frequently used breeds (Niemi and Ahlstedt 2014). Earlier maturing British breeds (AA, HF), which perform well on moderate nutrition (Phillips 2010), are most commonly used beef breeds in organic farming systems in Finland. Most of the forage for growing cattle in Nordic countries is based on silage mixtures of different grasses (timothy [Phleum pratense], meadow fescue [Festuca pratensis], tall fescue [Festuca arundinacea]) and red clover (Trifolium pratense) but other ensiled forages, such as different whole crop silages, are increasingly being used due to their potentially lower costs (Huuskonen 2013). In Finland, barley (Hordeum vulgare), oats (Avena sativa) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) are the dominant small-grain species utilized for whole crop production (Huuskonen 2013)
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