The Effect of Level of Meal Allowance on the Growth of Early-Weaned Calves at Pasture

P.E. Donnelly

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Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production. 1976, 37: 20-24

Nine groups, each of six 6-week-old Jersey and Jersey-cross calves, were rotationally grazed on white clover-dominant pasture. A pelleted meal (20% crude protein) was offered ad libitum to one group, and at 85, 75, 61, 49, 37, 25, 13, and 0% of that level to the remaining groups. Mean daily liveweight gains over the 5-week meal feeding period ranged from 700g/day for the ad libitum group down to 460 g/day for the group not receiving meal. Liveweight gain increased by 19g for every 100g increase in meal eaten (r=0.94). During a 4-week follow-up period, when all calves grazed pasture as one mob without meal supplementation, growth rates were negatively related to increasing meal allowance in the previous treatment period and negated the liveweight advantage resulting from meal supplementation.

Keywords: NZSAPAB;

Last Updated 24-08-2000