A total of three experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of group size, feed additives, and concentrate roughage ratios on the eco-friendly management of Hanwoo.
Experiment 1 dealt with a comparative analysis of the sex and breeding s...
A total of three experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of group size, feed additives, and concentrate roughage ratios on the eco-friendly management of Hanwoo.
Experiment 1 dealt with a comparative analysis of the sex and breeding stage of different group sizes. Growth performance (body weight, average daily gain, feed conversion rate), behavioral characteristics, and blood parameters in Hanwoo were investigated. A total of 4 groups of 36 heads were separated by the sex or breeding stage of the Hanwoo. The animals were separately housed to 4 heads (4sG), 3 heads (3sG), and 2 heads (2sG) per group. In growing heifers, except for 10 months of age, growth performance was improved by increasing group size, and this was similar to growing steers (p<0.05); both heifers and steers improved in the 2sG and 3sG, respectively (p<0.05). Growing heifers housed under 3sG spent more time lying down (p<0.05), while growing steers spent more time standing under 3sG, lying down (2sG), and walking (4sG). Both heifers and steers housed under 4sG spent more time standing (p<0.05). Growing heifers housed under 2sG had a lower frequency of drinking, self-grooming, pairwise grooming, and fighting (p<0.05). However, growing steers housed under 4sG had a higher frequency of drinking, rubbing, and fighting (p<0.05). Both heifers and steers housed under 4sG had a higher frequency of self-grooming and scratching (p<0.05). White blood cell and cortisol were highest in growing heifer under 2sG (p<0.05), while red blood cell was lowest and cortisol was highest in heifer and steer under 4sG (p<0.05).
Experiment 2 focused on the effect of feed additives. The effect of supplementation on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and blood parameters in Hanwoo steer was evaluated. A total of sixteen 23-month-old Hanwoo steers, with initial fasted body weights of 545.25 ± 12.60 kg, were measured and assigned to four treatments with two replicates in a completely randomized design. The treatments comprised of four groups of control (non feed additives), treatment 1 (xylanase, cellulase, and gluco-amylase; 0.1% / concentrate), treatment 2 (β-glucan and mannan- oligosaccharide; 0.1% / concentrate), and treatment 3 (treatment 1 + 2; 0.1% / concentrate). During the fourth and eighth month, average daily gain and feed conversion rates improved using treatment 1, but in the control this was lower than the other treatments (p<0.05). Real-time ultrasound was used for measuring the live carcass traits (longissimus muscle area, back fat thickness, and marbling score) in the following order: treatment 1 > treatment 3 > treatment 2 > control, and extended to carcass grade. In vitro ruminal fermentation characteristics, according to the pH by treatment, had statistically significant differences (p<0.05) in the following order: control > treatment 2 > treatment 3 > treatment 1. Volatile fatty acids and feed digestibility were highest in treatment 1 but lowest in control (p<0.05). In blood parameters, white blood cell indices were lower in treatment 2 and 3 because the IgG indices were relatively higher than in other treatments.
Finally, experiment 3 studied methane emission rates due to the concentrate to roughage ratios in the diets of Hanwoo cows. Feeds were given twice per day at 09:00 and 17:00. Greenhouse gases were measured for 12 hours using a gas analyzer (Mamos-300, Australia) from 09:00 to 21:00. The results indicated that the generation of methane under different roughage and feeding ratios was significantly different (p<0.05). Whole methane tended to decrease in the high concentrate diets (p<0.05). The high timothy hay supplementation group showed less methane emission compared to other groups, while high silage supplementation resulted in more methane emission compared to other treatments (p<0.05).
As a result, a four heads group size during the growth period, two heads for heifers, and three heads for steers were deemed suitable. Levels of xylanase, cellulase, and gluco-amylase were increased from the fourth month to improve growth performance, live carcass traits, volatile fatty acids, and feed digestibility. During the second month, β-glucan and mannan-oligosaccharide increased IgG indices in blood parameters. A high concentrate ratio and high roughage ratio resulted in less methane emission.