Energy requirements for growing Kedah-Kelantan (KK) and Brahman-KK heifers in Malaysia

J.B. Liang. M.N. Samiyah and H. Hirooka

Abstract

Twelve Kedah-Kelantan (KK) and 11 Brahman-KK heifers were fed either with low, medium or high energy intake to determine their energy requirements for maintenance and growth. The relationship between metabolisable energy intake (MEI) per metabolic body weight (kg W^0.75) and average daily gain (ADG) of the cattle were analysed using simple linear regression. It was found that for KK heifers, MEI/kg W^0.75 = 0.662 + 0.668 ADG (r = 0.64) and for Brahman-KK heifers, MEI/kg W^0.75 = 0.494 + 0.564 ADG (r = 0.86). The ME requirement of KK heifers for maintenance (ME_m) was 662 kJ/kg W^0.75 with a 48.2% and 34.5% efficiency of energy use for maintenance (K_m) and growth (K_g) respectively. The ME_m value for KK was about 30% higher than that estimated for Brahman-KK (494 kJ/kg W^0.75). The K_m and K_g value for the latter being 64.6% and 48.0% respectively. The ME_m value for Brahman KK was similar to that suggested for non-lactating cattle of developing countries. Energy requirements for growing KK and Brahman-KK heifers were estimated for body weights up to 250 kg and 300 kg respectively.

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