【獨家】干旱條件下犢牛早斷奶比較好

007畜牧

　　Better to wean calves early during drought conditions

　　干旱條件下犢牛早斷奶比較好

　　新聞發布日期:2013年8月30日

　　According to a study by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) cows that weaned calves early during severe weather conditions like drought have better body condition going into the winter, thus saving on feed throughout the winter.
　　根據最新的美國農業部(USDA)奶牛部的研究表明在惡劣的季節如干旱期，犢牛早點斷奶將會在進入冬天時，獲得更好的身體條件，從而節省整個冬季的飼料。
　　During drought, limited forage for livestock grazing can restrict calf growth, resulting in lighter calf weaning weights. Drought may also cause cows to lose body weight, and may weaken their immune functions, reducing their overall health and reproductive performance.
　　在干旱期間，限制牲畜的草料能限制小牛犢的生長，導致犢牛斷奶時體重較輕。干旱期也能使奶牛丟失體重，可能會減小它們的免疫功能，降低它們的整體健康和繁殖性能。
　　Animal scientist Richard Waterman, at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory (LARRL) in Miles City, Mont., examines management options to minimise the effects of severe drought on rangeland livestock production.
　　動物科學家Richard Waterman在邁爾斯市的農業研究所（ARS）Fort Keogh家畜推廣研究實驗室（LARRL）工作，他檢查了管理項目以便將嚴重干旱對牧場家畜生產的影響降低到最低。
　　Working with local ranchers, Montana State University scientists and American Simmental Association collaborators in Bozeman, Mont., Waterman evaluated the early weaning of beef calves and its impact on cow, heifer, and steer performance. Calves at two locations in Montana-Judith Gap and LARRL-were weaned early at 80 days of age and at the more traditional age of 215 days. Cows that weaned a calf early weighed more and were in better body condition at the start of winter. As a result, the amount of harvested feedstuffs required for cows to maintain satisfactory body weights and condition throughout winter was reduced.
　　Waterman一直與當地牧場主和蒙大拿大學科學家以及Bozeman美國西門塔爾協會合作者一起工作，他評估了早期斷奶和對犢牛，小母牛和閹牛的影響。蒙大拿Judith Gap和LARRL兩個地方的犢牛，在80天齡時斷奶或者在傳統的215天齡斷奶。犢牛早期斷奶可在初冬獲得較好的體重和身體狀況。這樣的結果是，冬天用于維持犢牛良好的體重和身體條件所需要的飼料減少了。
　　Waterman confirmed that early weaning is a viable management option, presents fewer problems and allows producers to better control their production environment. He also demonstrated that early weaning increases the likelihood that heifers will become pregnant on time in the following breeding season.
　　Waterman確認早期斷奶是一種可行的管理方案，它會出現較少的問題，允許生產者能更好地控制他們的生產環境。他還表明早期斷奶增加了小母牛在下一個育種季節及時妊娠的可能性。
　　Additional studies showed that early-weaned steers reached maturity sooner than traditionally weaned steers when body weight gain, feedlot performance and carcass traits were measured.
　　進一步研究表明在測定增重，飼養場性能和胴體性狀時，公牛早期斷奶可比傳統斷奶牛過早獲得成熟。
　　Waterman noted that management of early-weaned steers can directly impact how they grade at harvest. In some cases, early-weaned steers had poorer USDA yield grades because carcasses were too fat. However, Waterman demonstrated that producers can maximize carcass value of early-weaned steers if animals are identified before they enter the feedlot and then harvested at an earlier age.
　　Waterman指出早期斷奶犢牛管理可直接影響它們的后期性狀。在某些情況下，早期斷奶具有較差的USDA產量等級，這是因為胴體太肥了。然而，Waterman表明，如果動物在進入牧場前能夠得到鑒定，然后再較早的年齡可以出欄的話，生產者可以最大程度地提高早期斷奶閹牛的胴體價值
　　想要知道更多，請閱讀 August 2013 issue of Agricultural Research magazine <http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/aug13/beef0813.htm>.
來源：allaboutfeed
譯者：IRIS



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