Estimation of the maintenance energy requirements, methane emissions and nitrogen utilization efficiency of two suckler cow genotypes

Seventeen non-lactating dairy-bred suckler cows (LF; Limousin×Holstein-Friesian) and 17 non-lactating beef composite breed suckler cows (ST; Stabiliser) were used to study enteric methane emissions and energy and nitrogen (N) utilization from grass silage diets. Cows were housed in cubicle accommoda...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animal (Cambridge, England) England), 2016-04, Vol.10 (4), p.616-622
Main Authors: Zou, C. X., Lively, F. O., Wylie, A. R. G., Yan, T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal lactation
Animals
Beef
Beef cattle
Cattle
Cattle - physiology
Data processing
Diet - veterinary
Digestibility
Dry matter
Emission
Energy
Energy consumption
Energy Intake
energy metabolism
Energy output
Energy requirements
enteric methane emissions
Feces - chemistry
Feeds
Female
Genotype
Genotypes
Grass silage
Grasses
Lactation
Linear equations
Livestock
Maintenance
Manure - analysis
Manures
Metabolism
Methane
Methane - metabolism
Milk - metabolism
Nitrogen
Nitrogen - metabolism
nitrogen output
Nutrition
Poaceae
Research Article
Respiration
Silage
Silage - analysis
Studies
suckler cow
Urine
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Summary:Seventeen non-lactating dairy-bred suckler cows (LF; Limousin×Holstein-Friesian) and 17 non-lactating beef composite breed suckler cows (ST; Stabiliser) were used to study enteric methane emissions and energy and nitrogen (N) utilization from grass silage diets. Cows were housed in cubicle accommodation for 17 days, and then moved to individual tie-stalls for an 8-day digestibility balance including a 2-day adaption followed by immediate transfer to an indirect, open-circuit, respiration calorimeters for 3 days with gaseous exchange recorded over the last two of these days. Grass silage was offered ad libitum once daily at 0900 h throughout the study. There were no significant differences (P>0.05) between the genotypes for energy intakes, energy outputs or energy use efficiency, or for methane emission rates (methane emissions per unit of dry matter intake or energy intake), or for N metabolism characteristics (N intake or N output in faeces or urine). Accordingly, the data for both cow genotypes were pooled and used to develop relationships between inputs and outputs. Regression of energy retention against ME intake (r 2=0.52; P
ISSN:1751-7311
1751-732X
DOI:10.1017/S1751731115002268