Individual Feed Efficiency Monitoring of Charolaise Candidate Young Bulls in Relation to Feeding Behavior and Self-Performance Test Results
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Kaposvár Campus, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Guba Sándor Str. 40, H-7400 Kaposvar, Hungary
2
National Association of Hungarian Charolais Cattle Breeders, Vologda u. 3, H-3525 Miskolc, Hungary
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editors: Fulvia Bovera and Giovanni Piccolo
Animals 2022, 12(1), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12010035
Received: 12 November 2021
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Revised: 8 December 2021
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Accepted: 16 December 2021
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Published: 24 December 2021
(This article belongs to the Collection Feeding Strategies to Improve Sustainability and Welfare in Animal Production)
Simple Summary
Nowadays, in beef cattle breeding programs considerable interest lies in selecting animals that require fewer feed inputs without negatively impacting performance traits, thereby improving the profitability. This study has shown that the feeding behavior of Charolaise candidate young bulls mainly depend on residual feed intake (RFI), whilst RFI had no effect on phenotypic body composition and performance test results (except for feed intake/dry matter intake and gain to feed). Skeletal traits, including back-loin length and rump length as well as frame and muzzle width showed negative associations with RFI value, indicating that the longer, taller, higher frame size bulls were more efficient. At the same time, bulls with better RFI values were associated with forelegs/hind legs weakness. The close relationship of dry matter intake and feed efficiency in Charolaise candidate bulls suggests that measures are relevant and may have an application in the performance test. Performance from individual dry matter intake information may be the most cost-effective way to test a greater number of animals annually.
This study evaluated the effect of differences in residual feed intake (RFI) of Charolaise candidate young bulls on feeding behavior and self-performance test results. Bulls were classified into high and low RFI (H-RFI, L-RFI) groups. Bulls were fed in a HOKOFARM system to measure individual animal intake and behavior. L-RFI bulls had significantly lower feed intakes (p = 0.002) and higher gain to feed ratio (p = 0.001), lower intake per day/kg DM (dry matter) (p = 0.002) and lower intake g/body weight/day (p < 0.001). L-RFI animals had lower visits number per day (p = 0.02), but spent longer time per visit (p = 0.02), and tended to have higher intake g/visit (p = 0.06) on feeders. The correlation between RFI and DMI (dry matter intake)/bodyweight/day as well as intake per day/kg were large and positive. Back-loin length and rump length, and moreover muzzle width and frame, showed negative correlations with RFI value. However, bulls with better RFI values associated with lower legs score. Results reveal that RFI was shown beneficial correlations with economically relevant self-performance traits. Further investigations are needed to seek additional indicator traits that are predictive for RFI.
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Keywords:
residual feed intake; Charolaise; candidate bulls; performance test
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MDPI and ACS Style
Holló, G.; Nagy-Kiszlinger, H.; Tossenberger, J.; Török, M.; Húth, B. Individual Feed Efficiency Monitoring of Charolaise Candidate Young Bulls in Relation to Feeding Behavior and Self-Performance Test Results. Animals 2022, 12, 35. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12010035
AMA Style
Holló G, Nagy-Kiszlinger H, Tossenberger J, Török M, Húth B. Individual Feed Efficiency Monitoring of Charolaise Candidate Young Bulls in Relation to Feeding Behavior and Self-Performance Test Results. Animals. 2022; 12(1):35. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12010035
Chicago/Turabian StyleHolló, Gabriella, Henrietta Nagy-Kiszlinger, János Tossenberger, Márton Török, and Balázs Húth. 2022. "Individual Feed Efficiency Monitoring of Charolaise Candidate Young Bulls in Relation to Feeding Behavior and Self-Performance Test Results" Animals 12, no. 1: 35. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12010035
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