New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research abstracts

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Liveweight gain, herbage intake, and ingestive behaviour in Compudose^reg.-treated and untreated steers at pasture

G. ARANDA-OSORIO
S. T. MORRIS
S. N. McCUTCHEON

Department of Animal Science
Massey University
Palmerston North, New Zealand

W. J. PARKER

Department of Agricultural & Horticultural
Systems Management
Massey University
Palmerston North, New Zealand

Abstract  Twenty 14-month-old Friesian steers and sixteen 14-month-old Angus cross steers were randomly assigned within "breed" to Compudosereg. treatment (24 mg of oestradiol-17[[beta]] impregnated in a silicone rubber implant with an active life of 200 days) or left untreated. Fasted liveweight gain (LWG) of the steers was recorded as were calculated herbage intakes and grazing behaviour, measured on two occasions (days 34-50 and days 168-184 of treatment). Compudose-treated steers gained a mean of 856 g/day compared with 710 g/day by the control steers over the treatment period (20.6% increase, P < 0.001). The final fasted liveweight of treated steers was improved by 29.5 kg (7.1%) over that of the untreated steers (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the amount of herbage eaten or in components of grazing behaviour between the treated and untreated groups. Under pastoral conditions, as in feedlots, Compudose treatment appears to increase both LWG and the efficiency of that gain.

Keywords  finishing steers; Compudosereg.; liveweight gain; herbage intake; ingestive behaviour

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 1996, Vol. 39: 263-269

0028-8233/96/3902-0 $2.50/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand 1996

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (516K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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