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The Effect or Mineral Supplementation on Breeding Beef Cattle
Thesis Abstract:
This complete mineral supplementation experiment on breeding cattle was conductcd on Themeda-Imperata posture on 25 February- 23 September 1979 at Diamond Ace Ranch in Singupan, Burgos, Carranglan, Nueva Ecija, Philippines.
Pregnancy rate, mineral status of forage and blood serum, and mineral consumption were evaluated.
American Brahman crossbred cows and heifers and purebred Brahman bulls were randomly divided into two groups consisting of Treatment I (28 cows and heifers and 3 bulls) and Treatment ll (40 cows and heifers and 3 bulls). Treatment I samples were grazed on pasture at 0.22 A.U./ha stocking rate supplemented with common salt. Treatment II samples were grazed on pasture at 0.23 A.U./ha stocking race supplemented with a complete mineral mixture consisting of 40 percent bone meal; 57.72 percent common salt, 0.008 percent CoSO4, 0.165 percent ZnO, 0.288 percent MnSO4, 0.125 percent CuSO4, 0.026 percent KIO3, and 1.24 percent FeSO4.
Continuous grazing was practiced throughout the experiment. Common salt and complete mineral supplement were offered ad libitum in sheltered mineral bones.
Hand-plucked forage and blood serum analyses at the start of the experiment showed deficiency in Ca, P, Cu, and Zn. Forage analyses showed deficiency in Na and K; Fe and Mn were higher than the recommended requirement; and blood serum analyses showed a normal Mg level. Results showed that animals in body treatments did not differ significantly in blood serum Ca, Mg, Cu, and Zn. The complete mineral supplementation significantly increaesd (P<0.01) blood serum P but the increase depended on the prevailing season. Serum P level of treatment II animals in the early (June) and late (September) rainy seasons were higher than the critical deficiency level (5.29 and 4.67 vs. 4.5 mg/100) and were significantly higher (P<0 .05) than blood serum P level of Treatment I animals in the early and late rainy and dry (March) seasons (3.96, 3.28, and 1.95 mg/100 ml, respectively). The Iatter values were lower than the critical deficiency level of 4.5 mg/100 mi.
Complete mineral consumption in Treatment II increased from 18.96 to 27.01 g/head/day whereas common salt consumption in Treatment I declined from 31.64 to 27.38 g/head/day from June to September. Estimated cost of daily consumption per animal at prices prevailing during the experiment were P0.08 and P0.04 for complete mineral supplement and commom salt, respectively. Complete mmeral supplementation significantly increased (P<0.01) pregnancy rate from 57.1 to 78.9 percent. Pregnancy rate of Treatment II animals was 21.8 percent or 1.38 times higher than in Treatment I.