Archive
518 posts
Roughage to concentrate ratio and salt supply in ruminants
In two balance trials with 15 and 16 lactating Saanen goats (model animal for cows), the effects of different sodium cloride (NaCl) supplies and roughage to concentrate ratios on performance and metabolism were investigated. The NaCl supply levels ranged from 100 to 200 and 300 % of Swiss recommendations (RAP, 1999). The tested roughage to…
Influence of pre-wilting degree on conservation of grass
In the years 1996 to 1998 we investigated the influence of the dry matter content on fermentation and on aerobic stability in grass silage. Therefore, we ensiled forage of the same plots with two different dry matter contents in tower silos in 1996 and in square bales in 1997 and 1998. In some cases we…
Testing silage additives 1999
In 1999, we investigated the efficacy of six silage additives, containing lactic acid bacteria, which should promote the main fermentation. The trials were carried out in small-scale silos with a mixture of lucerne and cocksfoot. Forage of the first and also second cut was ensiled at two different dry matter levels (about 20 and 30…
Yeast products as feed additives in weaning piglets
In a five week long trial with a total of 128 Large White piglets weighing 10 to 30 kg, the effect of the feed additive Diamond V XP Yeast Culture, a yeast-fermented cereal mixture, on growth rate, feed intake, feed conversion and medical treatment was examined. The 2-factorial design comprised two control treatments, a negative…
Effect of beak trimming on brown growing pullets and laying hens
1968 one-day old chicks of Isa brown hybrid were kept in an aviary system (Natura Typ AZ-187), which was divided in four groups of 492 animals each. At day 1, half of the animals were beak-trimmed by hot cut, whereas the beaks of the other chicks remained intact. At the beginning of week 16, 1500…
Piglets diet supplemented with amino acid valine
The goals of these trials were to investigate the effects of different dietary amino acid concentrations and valine:lysine ratios on piglet performance and health. Two 4-week trials with 90 weaned piglets each were conducted. Both trials were set up as a block design with 3 treatments and 6 replicates per treatment (a total of 18…
Wheat in feed for broilers
“No two cows are alike in their behavioural characteristics. These individual differences become evident in the reactions and the sensitivity of cows towards environmental changes already in daily life situations. There is evidence that such behavioural characteristics predispose an animal’s stress responsiveness. We assessed two methods in order to quantify individual characteristics: (1) we asked…
Cereals instead of milk substitute in the diet of veal calves
The possibility to replace the milk substitute in the diet of the veal calf by cereals was studied in three feeding trials with 224 calves. The aim of the study was to reduce the production costs and to improve the image of veal production. The animals of the experimental group received either rolled barley or…
Trivalent Chromium – Interactions with the diets
Three experiments with growing-finishing pigs were performed to evaluate the effects of dietary trivalent chromium (Cr) under certain feeding conditions. The results of the first study indicated that an amount of 200 mg Cr / t feedstuff (ppb) is sufficient since daily gain was increased when 200 ppb Cr was added compared to the control…
Behaviour of dairy cows with self-feeding at a silo
Self-feeding at a horizontal silo adjacent to the exercise yard is a labour-saving alternative in winter feeding. In an experiment with forty dairy cows divided into two groups, the impact of the animal/feeding place ratio (1,5:1, 2:1 and 2,5:1) on social and feeding behaviour of the cows was investigated. We also varied the distance between…
The use of silage additives in pressed pulp silage
In a trial we investigated the influence of the filling time on silage quality. On the one hand we ensiled the pressed pulp after the transport from the sugar factory on the same day and on the other hand, ensiling was carried out after two days. In all variants we used 9 m3 silos and…
The use of silage additives in pressed pulp silage
In a trial we investigated the efficacy of different silage additives. Besides seven chemical products we also tested an inoculant, which was applied in liquid and solid form, as well as a product which contained a combination of lactic acid bacteria and chemical substances. The tests were carried out in laboratory silos in two series.…
Recommended vitamin A, E an D for piglets
During 34 days 4 x 16 female and castrated male piglets of the large white breed received a complete feed with the following vitamin A-, E- and D-concentrations in two consecutive series: Treatment A: 4000 IE, 16 mg, 500 IE, treatment B: 6500 IE, 16 mg, 1100 IE, treatment C: 10000 IE, 25 mg, 1500…
Efficacy of orally administered iron methionine and iron dextran in newborn pigs
66 newborn piglets of 11 litters were allotted to 6 treatments: 285 mg iron (Fe) as Fe methionine orally either within 12 h after birth or on the 2nd day (FeM1, FeM2), 290 mg Fe as Fe dextran orally either within 12 h after birth or on the 2nd day (FeD1, FeD2), 200 or 100…
Resistance of silo floors to silage juices
Seven different types of concrete, three types of asphaltic concrete and three types of mastic asphalt were exposed to silage juice of maize during 9 weeks. The samples were mounted on transmission chains making an alternation between immersion and drying possible. The measuring of the weight losses showed that the resistance of the concrete could…
Influence of a parasitic infection in fattening pigs on their amino acid requirement
In a feeding trial at the Swiss Federal Research Station for Animal Production (RAP), a total of 48 fattening pigs were given daily access (7 to 9 hrs) to an uncultivated plot infected with Ascaris suum eggs to investigate the influence of the parasitic exposure and subsequent infection on the amino acid requirements. Set up…
Testing of silage additives 1998
The efficacy of the silage additive All-Sil Granular, an inoculant to promote the main fermentation was tested. The trials were carried out in small-scale silos with a mixture of lucerne and cocksfoot. Forage of the first and second cut was ensiled at two different dry matter levels (about 20 and 30 % dry matter). A…
How to make the exercise yard attractive for dairy cows
Dairy cows kept in a cubicle housing system were offered round bales of either hay or grass silage in the exercise yard using two types of racks. Feeding them part of their daily ration outside resulted in doubling the time the cows spent in the exercise yard. Rank order had no significant effect on exercise…
Mineral content of continuous short grass pastures
In a field survey of the Swiss College for Agriculture and a complementary trial at the Swiss Federal Research Station for Animal Production (RAP), the mineral content of grass from continuous short grass pastures and rotational pastures was analyzed. The order of magnitude of the mineral content of investigated continuous short grass pastures and rotational…
The effect of dietary copper levels on copper concentration in calf livers
In a series of feeding trials with veal calves, the effect of dietary Cu levels on the Cu concentration in calf livers was investigated. The examined rations contained per kg of dry matter (DM) 2, 6, 8, 10 and 30 mg of Cu. The copper was added as sulfate. Up to a live weight of…
Prevention of oedema disease in piglets using a high fibre diet
In a pig herd with a high prevalence of oedema disease, the preventive effect of a pelleted diet with a crude fibre content of 10 % which contained beet pulp, apple pomace and carob beans was tested in weaned piglets with a weaning weight of 11 kg. The 80 weaned piglets of the diet group…
