Utilization of sorghum grain in high energy beef finish diets

A JASSA study on animal nutrition to achieve better quality beef in the cattle- rearing agricultural sector in Zimbabwe.A study was carried out in July 1996 to assess the potential of sorghum grain (high tannin) in high energy beef finishing diets. The effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on the utilization of sorghum grain based diets was also examined. Forty steers were blocked by weight and then randomly allocated to five treatments. One group was assigned to direct slaughter. The remaining groups were offered the following diets containing 33 percent grain: 1.100 percent maize (100M); 2.50 percent maize: 50 percent sorghum (50M:50S); 3.100 percent sorghum (100S); 4. 100 percent sorghum + 3g PEG per day (100S PEG). Dry matter and metabilizable energy (ME) intake were highest with 50M:50S and lowest (P<0.01) with the 100S PEG diet. Steers on the 50M:50S diet had the highest (P<0.05) growth rates and carcass gains. PEG did not improve the utilization of the high tannin sorghum grain

The utilisation of complete cereal-based diets differing in roughage inclusion level by Matabele goats and Sabi sheep

Diet digestibility and the degradability and rate of passage of the roughage fraction were measured for four maize-based diets containing either 50 per cent (VH50), 33 per cent (VH33), 22 per cent (VH22) or 10 per cent (VH10) roughage as natural rangeland (veld) hay. Treatment diets were offered ad libitum to castrate Matabele goats (46.4 (+ or -) 1.81 kg) and Sabi sheep (49.4 (+ or -) 1.8 kg) in an incomplete paired latin square (4 diets and 3 periods). Each 32-day period comprised a 21-day adaptation period followed by a seven-day digestibility and concurrent rate of passage determination of chromium mordanted hay and four-day in sacco degradation of veld hay. Ad libitum dry matter intakes were similar (P>0.01) for both species with means of 67, 59, 59 and 50 g/kg 0.75 for diets VH50 to VH10. In vitro dry matter digestibility of the complete diets was similar (P>0.01) in goats and sheep, averaging 664, 715, 722 and 801 g/kg for diets VH50 to VH10. Potential dry matter degradability (a+b) of the veld hay fraction in the diet was similar (P>0.10) for both species and averaged 639, 615, 540 and 438 g/kg DM for diets VH50 to VH10, respectively. Mean retention time of chromium mordanted veld hay was 88.2 and 65.3 hours (P<0.001) for goats and sheep, respectively, and was 57.0, 61.8, 82.4 and 106.0 hours (P<0.001) for diets VH50 to VH10, respectively. With the exception of retention time which may be indicative of differences in digestive morphology, gross digestive function was similar in Matabele goats and Sabi sheep

Composition of body and carcass gain of castrate Matabele goats fed complete cereal-based diets differing in roughage inclusion level to slaughter after 10 kg liveweight gain

Four maize-based diets containing either 50 per cent (VH50), 33 per cent (VH33), 22 per cent (VH22) or 10 per cent (VH10) rangeland (veld) hay were offered ad libitum to 40 castrated Matabele goats aged either 18 or 24 months and slaughtered after 10 kg liveweight gain. Ten additional goats of the same age and weight comprised a preliminary group that was slaughtered at the start of the experiment. Mean cold dressed carcass weights of the fed groups and the preliminary slaughter group were 17.2 kg and 10.6 kg respectively (P<0.001). Corresponding carcass yields expressed as a proportion of empty (gut-free) body weight were 0.569 and 0.523 g/kg (P<0.001). Chemical proportions of the right carcass side, exclusive of the kidney, kidney-knob and channel fat for the two groups, were 509 and 588 g/kg H2O, 284 and 159 g/kg ether extract, 48 and 73 g/kg ash, and 157 and 180 g/kg crude protein (P<0.001). Chemical composition was, however, not significantly different for the four diet treatments. Visceral fat deposition was positively related to diet energy concentration (P<0.001)

Fattening mature indigenous (Matabele) goats: effects on animal performance, body and carcass composition

Complete cereal-based diets, containing either 50, 33, 22, or 10 veld hay (9. 7, 10.3, 11.6, and 12.1 MJ ME/kg DM, respectively) were fed to 40 wethers, to achieve a target body mass gain of 10 kg by 230 days. Ten animals were slaughtered at the start of the experiment to determine initial carcass mass and the body and carcass composition. for animals which attained the target, slaughter mass growth rate and feed intake were similar between diets. Animals fed the 22 per cent hay diet outperformed the others in terms of mean body mass gain feed conversion ratio. Means of performance traits had high coefficients of variation and it is suggested that the heterogeneity of the sample population may have masked treatment effects.Compared to the preliminary slaughter group, carcass mass and yield was significantly (P<0.05) increased by feeding as was fat deposition in both visceral and carcass depots. The quantity of fat deposited appeared to be positively related to dietary energy concentration