Factors associated with divergent post-weaning liveweight gain in northern Australian beef cattle

The Factors associated with divergent post-weaning liveweight gain in northern Australian beef cattle project, examined factors associated with divergence in post-weaning growth in Bos indicus steers in northern Australia.

Summary

Steers that were similar in liveweight (145 kg) at weaning but different in liveweight 91 days after weaning (148 and 163 kg, for lowest and highest liveweight gain) had similar liveweight gain when fed either a low (Mekong grass hay; 0.28 kg/d) or moderate (cavalcade hay; 0.47 kg/d) protein diet in pens. Steers that gained more liveweight over this post-weaning period had higher liveweight gain over the subsequent wet season than steers that had the lowest liveweight gain post-weaning although the differences were small practically (0.58 vs. 0.55 kg/d respectively over the wet season). Approximately 12 months after weaning there was only 12 kg difference in liveweight between steers that had the highest and lowest liveweight gain after weaning. There were no differences in circulating concentrations of albumin, creatinine, glucose, insulin-like growth factor-1 or urea between steers of different post-weaning liveweight gain, at weaning, 91 days post-weaning or after feeding low or higher protein diets. Serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-1, urea and glucose were elevated in steers fed the higher protein diet. The reasons for the divergence in liveweight gain post-weaning are likely to be related to variability in responses to marking and weaning, grazing behaviour or supplement intake rather than genetics or health status.

When: 7 June 2010 to 1 March 2012

Contact: Dr Simon Quigley and Dr Dennis Poppi

Collaborator: University of Queensland

More information

To learn more, please read the final report summary and download the final report (B.NBP.0629) (PDF, 441.3 KB) from the Meat & Livestock Australia website.