Genetic parameters for feed intake and efficiency in lactating beef cows

Genetic Regulation of Feed Efficiency in Lactating Holstein Cows

Test duration for growth, feed intake, and feed efficiency in beef cattle using the GrowSafe System.

This study was conducted to determine the optimum test duration and the effect of missing data on accuracy of measuring feed efficiency and its 4 related traits ADG, DMI, feed conversion ratio, and residual feed intake in beef cattle using data from 456 steers with 5,397 weekly averaged feed intakes and BW repeated measurements taken over 91 d. Data were collected using the GrowSafe System at t...

Genetic Analysis of Feed Intake in Lactating Sows

Records for daily feed intake during lactation were available for 774 sows with 2,234 litters farrowing from May 2002 to November 2006. Genetic parameters were estimated for whole-oflactation feed intake and feed intake averaged over 5-day periods during lactation. Estimates of heritabilities and the permanent environment of the sow were 0.16±0.05 and 0.18±0.04 for total lactation feed intake a...

Fine mapping quantitative trait loci for feed intake and feed efficiency in beef cattle.

Feed intake and feed efficiency are economically important traits in beef cattle because feed is the greatest variable cost in production. Feed efficiency can be measured as feed conversion ratio (FCR, intake per unit gain) or residual feed intake (RFI, measured as DMI corrected for BW and growth rate, and sometimes a measure of body composition, usually carcass fatness, RFI(bf)). The goal of t...

Genetic improvement in feed efficiency in beef cattle

Net feed conversion efficiency (NFCE) describes whether an animal eats more or less feed than expected for its size and growth rate. Early results from the Trangie NFCE Project, and from the Beef CRC, show that considerable variation in NFCE exists within each of the British breeds tested and is moderately heritable. Estimates of heritability for average daily gain, 365-day weight, feed intake,...