Effect of dietary concentrate content on feed intake, feed efficiency, and meat quality of Holstein steers fattened in a hot environment

Othman Alqaisi*, Haytham Ali, Mohammad Al-Abri, Eugene H. Johnson, Waleed Al-Marzooqi

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of feeding high and low concentrate diets on feed intake and feed efficiency, the morphological characteristics of the rumen papillae, and meat quality of Holstein steers fattened under hot climate conditions in Oman. Ten male Holstein calves, of 5 months of age, were selected for the experiment. The animals were fed concentrate and Rhodes grass hay and were divided into two groups of high concentrate (HC, n = 5) and low concentrate diets (LC, n = 5), in which their feed intake, weight gain, and feed efficiency were evaluated across three growing periods. Feed intake and efficiency and average daily gain (ADG) of the HC group were significantly greater than for the LC group and were affected by the diet (p <.01) and the period (p <.001). Across the fattening periods, ADG declined in both groups, with ADG improved by 35% for steers on the HC diet compared to steers on the LC diet. Carcass meat quality was not affected significantly by the dietary concentrate level. In conclusion, our results can be used to make improvements in feed efficiency of Holstein steers under hot climate conditions.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere13547
JournalAnimal Science Journal
Volume92
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 1 2021

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Effect of dietary concentrate content on feed intake, feed efficiency, and meat quality of Holstein steers fattened in a hot environment'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this