Formula feed for raising beef cattle

Abstract

To provide a formula feed for raising beef cattle that maintains rumen pH and promotes growth even when an amount of concentrated feed is increased.SOLUTION: Based on the discovery that a formula feed containing a combination of cottonseed which stimulates rumination, and peat pulp which stimulates saliva secretion, or further containing an active yeast or the like that helps stabilize rumen pH, and enriched with thiamine which tends to be deficient when high-concentrate feed is given, is a high-concentration feed that satisfies the subject, provided is a formula feed for fattening beef cattle, containing, as a high-concentration feed, cottonseed and peat pulp, with added active yeast and thiamine.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a compound feed suitable for raising beef cattle at beef cattle breeding farms (Holstein castrated, crossbreed) and Japanese Black cattle breeding farms. [Background technology]

[0002] Beef cattle are raised at breeding and rearing farms until they reach 10 months of age and weigh approximately 300 kg, then are taken over by fattening farms through livestock markets, where they are further raised until they reach 30 months of age and weigh approximately 770 kg, and then sold to slaughterhouses and consumers through livestock markets or private transactions.

[0003] Regarding the type of pasture used for rearing feed at breeding farms, fresh grass decomposes quickly, so large pastures are required, and in Japan, dried pasture imported from overseas is widely used. However, in recent years, due to increased demand in emerging countries such as the Middle East and South Korea, and soaring transportation costs, prices have risen, and there are cases where dried pasture is more expensive than compound feed.

[0004] Beef cattle are shipped as feedlot cattle at around 9 months of age, and as shown in Figure 1, the market price tends to be higher the higher the DG (daily weight gain).

[0005] Therefore, producers are increasing the profits of beef cattle by feeding them large amounts of concentrated feed and reducing roughage such as grass, thereby increasing their weight gain. This has the advantage of reducing the amount of roughage such as hay as the intake of concentrated feed increases, but on the other hand, there are also disadvantages such as the risk of digestive disorders such as acidosis caused by feeding large amounts of concentrated feed, which can cause problems with growth or stop the animal eating after shipping.

[0006] To avoid such disadvantages, in Japan, the amount of compound feed given is generally set at a maximum of 4.0 to 4.5 kg / day for steers and 3.5 to 4.0 kg / day for cows.

[0007] Therefore, if the amount of concentrate in the feed can be further increased without causing digestive disorders such as acidosis, profits can be expected to improve.

[0008] A study on raising cattle using concentrated feed instead of roughage containing fiber has been reported by SPIraira et al. (Non-Patent Document 1). In an experiment conducted by SPIraira et al., eight Simmental heifers (initial body weight 313.4 ± 13.2 kg) were fed three diets for 28 days: one containing barley straw (BS) as a control, a roughage fiber source, and the other containing concentrated soybean hulls (SH), pelleted beet pulp (BP), and whole cottonseed (WCS). BS, SH, BP, and WCS were added at 10, 17, 17, and 16% (DM basis), respectively, and the inclusion rates of corn, barley, soybean meal, and sunflower meal were adjusted to achieve equivalent CP and NDF. The results showed that the WCS diet promoted rumination time to the same extent as BS and maintained gastric pH, an indicator of acidosis, at a similar level.

[0009] However, the above experiment was the result of a short-term rearing period of 28 days, and it was still unclear whether it was effective in maintaining weight gain and pH throughout the rearing period, or whether there was a WCS and BP blending ratio that would prevent acidosis throughout the rearing period even when the amount of concentrated feed added was increased. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] American Society of Animal Science.2013, pp.3827-3835 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] An object of the present invention is to provide a compound feed suitable for raising beef cattle, which does not cause acidosis even when the amount of concentrated feed is increased, and which is expected to promote weight gain. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The present inventors, taking into consideration the results of the above-mentioned Non-Patent Document 1, etc., conducted experiments in which beef cattle were raised by blending various raw materials, and sought a concentrated feed-rich diet that would maximize weight gain during rearing (see Demonstration Experiment 1). Cottonseed stabilizes rumen pH by stimulating rumination. When peat pulp is added, the intake amount is slightly reduced, but the tongue-wagging behavior increases, which replaces rumination, promotes saliva secretion, and stabilizes the pH. This confirmed that acidosis could be prevented by adding cottonseed and peat pulp. Although cottonseed and peat pulp are widely used as feed for adult cattle, the above-mentioned behavior has not been reported in adult cattle, and it is likely that this is a reaction specific to young cattle such as heifers. We then discovered that a compound feed that combines cottonseed, which stimulates rumination, with peat pulp, which promotes salivary secretion, or that combines this with active yeast, which helps stabilize rumen pH, and is enriched with thiamine, which tends to be deficient when high concentrations are fed, is a high-concentration feed that meets the above requirements, and that by setting lower limits for the optimal CP, TDN, and NDF levels, it is possible to feed high concentrations and promote growth, while still achieving excellent results in increasing height without becoming overweight, leading to the present invention.

[0013] The embodiments of the present invention are as follows. [1] A compound feed for beef cattle breeding containing 5 to 10% by mass of cottonseed and 5 to 10% by mass of peat pulp. [2] Formula feed designed to have a CP of 16.5% or more, a TDN of 70% or more, and an NDF of 25% or more. [3] A compound feed for beef cattle breeding according to [1], further comprising active yeast and thiamine.

[0014] The active yeast of the present invention may be of any type, as long as it stabilizes the rumen pH. Active yeast absorbs oxygen within the rumen, improving anaerobic conditions and activating lactic acid-utilizing bacteria and fiber-decomposing bacteria, which further promotes fiber decomposition, improving feed conversion rates, and contributing to stabilizing the pH of the rumen.

[0015] The thiamine source used in the present invention may be a vitamin premix containing B1, etc. The amount of thiamine added is preferably 3 to 10 ppm per unit dry matter. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] If the compound feed of the present invention is used for raising beef cattle, acidosis is unlikely to occur, and excellent DG results can be expected. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] Market performance analysis results (graph showing correlation between shipment DG and price) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The present invention will be described below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. [Example]

[0019] Demonstration experiment 1: Beef cattle breeding experiment using soybean hulls, peat pulp, and cottonseed instead of barley straw as roughage Eight Siemens cattle (274 days old, average weight 313.4 kg) were used as test cattle, divided into a control group, a soybean hull group, a peat pulp group, and a cottonseed group, and each group was fed the feed with the ingredient composition shown in Table 1. After 28 days, dry matter intake and rumen fermentation were measured, and intake behavior during that period was observed. The results are shown in Table 2. In Table 2, the feeding trough time for ingestion behavior is the time spent in the feeding trough where the animal was eating the food, and the ingestion time is the time spent chewing the food, which was calculated by combining the rumination time and the total chewing time.

[0020] [Table 1]

[0021] [Table 2]

[0022] The results in Table 2 reveal the following: Dry matter intake increased in the cottonseed group compared to the control group, but decreased in the peat pulp group. Rumen pH decreased slightly with the inclusion of dry matter, but remained at approximately the same level in the peat pulp and cottonseed treatments. In the peat pulp group, dry matter intake decreased, as did time spent in the feed trough, rumination time, and chewing time, but intake time increased, and the number of tongue-wagging sessions in particular increased dramatically. It is thought that the increased tongue-wagging replaced rumination and stimulated saliva secretion, stabilizing rumen pH. Based on these results, it is expected that acidosis can be prevented by combining cottonseed and peat pulp.

[0023] <Preparation of compound feed using peat pulp and cottonseed> Therefore, we prepared a feed containing cottonseed and peat pulp to confirm whether the desired effects could be achieved.

[0024] The feed consisted of CP: 16.5%, TDN: 70%, NDF: 27%, vitamin B1: 8 ppm (dry basis), and also contained 5% cottonseed, 5% beet pulp, and active yeast.

[0025] Demonstration experiment 2: Testing changes in rumen pH due to active yeast Three Japanese Black and crossbred heifers (average age 262 days) were used as test cows (ID: 6554, 6555, 6559). They were fed two types of diets: the compound feed of the present invention (test group) and timothy hay (control group). The rumen pH of the cows was measured on the start of the test and 15 days later. Feed intake was also measured at the same time. The results of pH measurements are shown in Table 3. The top row is the control group, the bottom row is the compound feed, and the numbers are the measured pH values ​​and their range of variation. In both diets, the pH stabilized and then increased over time, indicating that the yeast-containing diet provided rumen pH stability comparable to that of roughage. The results of measuring the amount of feed intake are shown in Table 4. As is clear from the results, the pH increased even when the amount of this formula was fed in large amounts, and the total intake increased despite the low roughage content.

[0026] [Table 3]

[0027] [Table 4]

[0028] Demonstration experiment 3: Effect of cottonseed content on rumination frequency Six beef cattle were fed a 0% cottonseed compound feed for six days, then fed 5% and 10% cottonseed compound feed for six days, and the number of times the cattle ruminated was measured on the fifth and sixth days. The results are shown in Table 5. These results indicate that adding 5-10% cottonseed to compound feed significantly increases the number of ruminations.

[0029] [Table 5]

[0030] Demonstration experiment 4 <Experiment to confirm the results of beef cattle weight gain using the compound feed of the present invention> Three 6-month-old heifers were raised for three months using the compound feed in Table 1, and their body weight, intake, number of ruminations, and rumen pH were measured. The results are shown in Table 6. As is clear from these results, in the test group fed the compound feed of the present invention, despite the feeding of a large amount of concentrated feed, rumination was maintained and rumen pH was maintained, resulting in increased weight gain.

[0031] Table 6

Claims

1. A compound feed for raising beef cattle (compound feed for raising young cattle) containing 5 to 10% by mass of cottonseed and 5 to 10% by mass of peat pulp.

2. 3. The compound feed for raising beef cattle according to claim 1 or 2, which is designed to have a CP of 16.5% or more, a TDN of 70% to 72%, and an NDF of 25% or more.

3. 2. The compound feed for raising beef cattle according to claim 1, further comprising active yeast and thiamine.

Images