Relocation does not have a significant effect on the growth rate of Bos indicus cross steers
R. G. Holroyd A B I , V. J. Doogan A C , M. R. Jeffery A D E , J. A. Lindsay A F G , B. K. Venus A C and G. Bortolussi A HA Cooperative Research Centre for Beef Genetic Technologies.
B Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, PO Box 6014, Central Queensland Mail Centre, Rockhampton, Qld 4702, Australia.
C Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Animal Research Institute, Locked Bag 4, Moorooka, Qld 4104, Australia.
D Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Brigalow Research Station, M. S. 1855, Theodore, Qld 4719, Australia.
E Present address: Department of Agriculture WA, PO Box 278, Derby, WA 6728, Australia.
F Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Swan’s Lagoon Beef Cattle Research Station, M. S. 54, Ayr, Qld 4807, Australia.
G Present address: Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Kairi Research Station, PO Box 27, Kairi, Qld 4872, Australia.
H Department of Natural Resources and Water, PO Box 5318, Townsville, Qld 4810, Australia.
I Corresponding author. Email: richard.holroyd@dpi.qld.gov.au
Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 48(5) 608-614 https://doi.org/10.1071/EA07154
Submitted: 24 May 2007 Accepted: 28 September 2007 Published: 7 April 2008
Abstract
This experiment tested the hypothesis that relocating cattle is detrimental to their growth. The study examined the effect of having relocated cattle mixed with, or segregated from, the local acclimatised cattle at the destination property. Bos indicus cross steers (120) were allocated to three groups and were relocated, in two separate cohorts, 980 km from northern Queensland to improved pastures in central Queensland. At the start of Phase 1, the control group (C) was moved 3 months before the other two groups. The remaining two groups grazed native pastures; one group was supplemented (SR) to increase growth rate similar to that expected from improved pasture in central Queensland and the other was not supplemented (R). At the end of Phase 1, C was significantly (P < 0.05) heavier than SR, which was significantly (P < 0.05) heavier than R. At the start of Phase 2, the SR and R groups were relocated and after transportation the R and SR groups lost 12 kg or 4.4% of liveweight and 18 kg or 5.7% of liveweight, respectively; this weight loss was recovered after 5 days. All steers were reallocated to segregated (SEG) or mixed (MIX) treatment groups forming six treatments (SEG.C, SEG.R and SEG.SR and MIX.C, MIX.R and MIX.SR). There were no significant differences in liveweights within the SEG treatments by 57 days or within the MIX treatments by 106 days after relocation. There were few if any significant differences in the plasma constituents and differential leucocyte counts of the steers and most results were within physiologically normal ranges. We conclude on the basis of these results and of other experiments that the anecdotal poor performance of cattle after relocation appears to be unfounded.
Additional keywords: black spear grass, brigalow, cattle, liveweight gain.
Acknowledgements
We thank Neil Cooper and Shane Answer for technical help and the farm staff of both Swan’s Lagoon and Brigalow Research Stations for mustering and processing cattle. We are indebted to the following Animal Research Institute staff; Gerry Murphy, Brian Burren and John Twist for advice and analyses and Gary Blight for guidance with the experimental design. We also thank Dr Stuart McLennan for advice in the preparation of the manuscript.
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