Welfare and meat quality of beef cattle housed on two types of floors with the same space allowance
| Autor: | G. Fregolent, Giulio Cozzi, L. Ravarotto, Flaviana Gottardo, Rebecca Ricci |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2010 |
| Předmět: |
animal structures
040301 veterinary sciences media_common.quotation_subject Beef cattle Type of floor Welfare Meat quality 0402 animal and dairy science food and beverages Allowance (money) 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences Biology Straw Beef cattle Body weight 040201 dairy & animal science Feed conversion ratio 0403 veterinary science Animal science Animal Science and Zoology Animal body lcsh:Animal culture Eating behaviour Welfare media_common lcsh:SF1-1100 |
| Zdroj: | Italian Journal of Animal Science, Vol 2, Iss 4, Pp 243-253 (2010) |
| ISSN: | 1594-4077 |
| Popis: | Growth performance, behaviour, cleanliness, carcass traits and meat quality of 48 Simmental young bulls housed on slattedfloor or on straw bedding with the same space allowance were compared in the study, which lasted 250 days. Theanimals (initial body weight = 321.2 ± 34.1 kg) were assigned to 8 balanced groups, according to their initial bodyweight. All the groups were reared in separate pens with a space allowance of 3 m2/head. Four pens had a concrete floorcovered with a straw bedding while the other pens had a fully slatted floor made of concrete slats. All the animals receivedthe same diet provided ad libitum.Type of floor did not affect the bulls’ daily gain, feed intake and feed efficiency. Health status of the animals was satisfactorythroughout the trial and several blood indicators of chronic stress were not modified by the treatment. Behaviouralobservations carried out at d 10, 80, 180 and 240 showed differences only on some behaviours due to the type of floor.In particular, the straw bedding increased eating behaviour and it encouraged the simultaneous presence of more bullsat the manger. Regardless of the type of floor, the progress of the trial showed a linear increase of animals’ inactivity(Presults can be referred to the growth of the animal body frame, which made the space allowance progressively limiting.In the straw bedded pens, clean straw was added weekly and fully renewed every 3 weeks, but this bedding managementdid not allow a satisfactory cleanliness of the animals in comparison with the slatted floor. However, the worsecleanliness of the bulls on the straw did not promote their grooming activity. Young bulls were slaughtered at a finalweight of 614.6 ± 14.7 kg and their carcass traits and meat quality were not affected by the treatment.The straw bedded system cannot always be considered the cleanest solution for the housing of beef cattle and its frequentrenewal must be carried out, particularly when animals are kept with a minimum space allowance. The minimaldifferences observed for all the parameters measured in the study between the two types of floors must be related tothe adoption of the same space allowance/animal and this factor has shown to be the most critical housing parameteraffecting beef cattle welfare during the fattening period. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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