Chemical composition of the empty body was determined in 159 animals slaughtered at weights ranging from 121 to 706 kilograms. Holstein and Angus bulls, steers and heifers were fed at two energy levels: ad libitum and 65 to 70% ad libitum. The allometric equation, Y = aXb, was used to determine the effect of energy intake and the influence of breed and sex on the accretion rates of the chemical components relative to the growth of the empty body or fat-free empty body. Group comparisons for chemical composition were made after adjustment by regression to a common empty body weight. The expression of the sex influence on the accretion rates of water, protein and ash relative to the empty body depended on the breed and the energy intake level considered. The accretion rate of chemical fat was not influenced by sex. Genetic differences in the accretion rate relative to the empty body were detected only among animals in the high energy intake group. Regardless of sex, the accretion rates of protein and ash were more rapid (P < .05) in Holsteins than in Angus. However, a breed influence on the accretion rate of chemical fat was detected only among bulls, where Angus had a more rapid accretion rate. Feeding animals at two energy levels resulted in different accretion rates relative to the empty body. In the Angus breed, regardless of sex, the accretion rates of water, protein and ash were more rapid (P < .05) in the low intake group, whereas the accretion rate of chemical fat was slower (P < .05). Among Holsteins, the low energy intake level had a less definite effect; for bulls, the accretion rates of water and chemical fat were more rapid (P < .05) and slower (P < .05), respectively; for steers, and accretion rate of protein was more rapid (P < .05), and for heifers, none of the accretion rates was altered.

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Grazing dairy cows are characterized by converting a low proportion of dietary N into milk N. This low N use efficiency (NUE) is mainly due to an excessive supply of crude protein (CP) of pasture with regard to animal requirements. Excess N in the diet has negative effects for the animal; it alters the organoleptic characteristics of milk and pollutes the environment through N excretions. The aim of this review was to analyze the available information on nutritional strategies to improve NUE by grazing dairy cows, such as diluting the dietary N through supplementation, synchronizing ruminal carbohydrate (CHO), and N fermentation rates, and using pastures with a high water soluble carbohydrates (WSC) content. There is a beneficial effect of carbohydrate supplementation on NUE, with an increase in milk yield (MY) of 0.83 ± 0.34 kg milk kg -1 supplement and a reduction of ammonia N (NH 3 -N) in the rumen. A better synchrony between CHO and rumen N does not improve MY and NUE. However, a positive effect on NUE was identified as a result of increasing the WSC/CP ratio. The use of cultivars with high WSC content increases the dry matter intake (DMI), MY, and milk N production, with no consistent effect on NUE.

The flow of ruminal undegradable protein (RUP) to the small intestine can be increased if ruminal degradation of dietary protein is reduced. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of extrusion on ruminal degradability of dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) from dehulled lupin (Lupinus albus L.) (DL) and rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) meal (RM). Unextruded soybean (Glicine max L.) meal (SBM) was used as a control. The DL was extruded at 130 ºC with 20% moisture and RM was extruded at 120 ºC with 20% moisture. Ruminal degradability was evaluated in situ by incubating feed samples for 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, and 48 h of fermentation in the rumen using three rumen-fistulated dairy cows. Values of CP soluble fraction ("a") in SBM, DL, extruded dehulled lupin (EDL), RM, and extruded rapeseed meal (ERM) was lower in the extruded feeds (P < 0.05). The slowly degradable fraction ("b") of SBM, DL, EDL, RM, and ERM was 858, 593, 622, 451, and 457 g kg-1 , respectively, and was increased by extrusion (P < 0.05). Extrusion reduced the effective degradability (ED) of CP in lupin from 807 to 788 g kg-1 ; kp = 0.05 h-1 while ED was reduced from 868 to 789 g kg-1 ; kp = 0.05 h-1 in ERM. This resulted in an increase in RUP of 8.95% in EDL (P < 0.05); the increase was 37.35% (P < 0.05) in ERM. It may be concluded that extrusion in the presence of moisture reduced the degradability of CP, particularly in the case of ERM.

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Fortin et al. (1980b).

Digestibility (DE) and metabolizability (ME) of a single pelleted diet was examined with growing Angus and Holstein cattle. One hundred and ninety-one individual digestion trials were conducted with bulls, steers and heifers. Food was offered ad libitum or restricted with a daily meal frequency of four. Data were analysed by two covariate models. The first included relative dry matter intake (RDMI) defined as the ratio of DMI to body weight (M 073 ). In the second model, covariates were defined by genetic-size scaling; the first covariate scaled DMI by mature weight (A) raised to the power 0-73 (DMI/A" 7 ') and the second covariate was degree of maturity (n) defined as body weight divided by A. Model 2 also allowed separation of size and DMI effects. No breed differences were detected. There was a consistent trend for increasing ME and ME/DE from heifers to steers to bulls which was significant between heifers and the average of bulls and steers (575-3 v. 589-3 and 832-8 v. 844-3 J/kJ for ME and ME/DE, respectively). Independent of animal effects, DE, ME and urinary energy (UE) decreased and ME/DE and faecal energy (FE) losses increased as RDMI or DMI/A 073 increased. Per unit rise in RDMI equivalent to maintenance, the corresponding changes for DE, ME, ME/DE, FE and UE were -33-9, -13-6, 21-3, 34-1 and 9-6 J/kJ, respectively. DE increased 1-5 and ME increased 0-8 J/kJ GE for each 01 unit increase in degree of maturity.