The importance of carotene supplements in the feeding of White Fulani Zebu cattle has been studied in three experiments. The live weight gains of heifers, with and without carotene on two planes of nutrition, showed c 2 lb/head/day gain on the 'high' plane, but the 'low' plane group did not respond to carotene supplement. The association between cottonseed feeding and vitamin A deficiency, studied by comparing the rates of depletion of heifer calves on cottonseed supplements and on a sorghum/groundnut mixture, indicated that cottonseed can enhance the rate of carotene/vitamin A depletion in the liver. Carotene supplements equivalent to 2 02 red palm oil, to cows before and after calving failed to improve the vitamin A potency of milk. The total daily secretion of carotene and vitamin A in the milk was insufficient to maintain adequate liver stores in a suckled calf. The effects of dry season feeding on vitamin A and carotene depletion in growing cattle have been demonstrated (Miller, i960 and 1961), and it has been shown that feeding carotene supplements can result in an increased rate of live weight gain when the ration contains adequate energy and protein. On a moderate plane of nutrition, it was also found that the liver storage of carotene during the wet season was sufficient to sustain the animal over a period of six months on a carotene-free diet.Although the period during which cattle may be expected to subsist on a carotene-free diet is unlikely to exceed six months, it was desirable to obtain further information on the effects of certain husbandry practices which were likely to affect the rate of depletion of carotene and vitamin A in the animal. Reports in the literature (Church el al., 1956) have shown that an increased plane of nutrition may enhance the rate of depletion, but from the viewpoint of increasing production, it is perhaps more important to determine whether there is any beneficial effect of feeding a carotene supplement to animals on an increased plane of nutrition. Flora et al. (1939) found that calves fed with high levels of cottonseed meal exhibited symptoms which corresponded closely with those of animals on a ration deficient in vitamin A, but the symptoms cleared up with administration of a carotene concentrate. Such a finding could have considerable practical significance in Northern Nigeria, where whole cottonseed is fed in varying amounts to young cattle as a dry season supplement.The effect of feeding low carotene rations to lactating cows through its effects on the vitamin A potency of milk fat, may determine the vitamin A nutrition of * Present address: North of Scotland College of Agriculture, Aberdeen, t Deceased.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.