Bloat incidence and liveweight gain in beef cattle on pastures containing different proportions of white clover (Trifolium repens)

Abstract

During the spring of both 1968 and 1969 three phalaris-white clover pasture types, differing in botanical composition from clover-dominant to grass-dominant, were grazed by beef cattle. The cattle were scored twice a day for bloat incidence and severity and were weighed each month. No cattle died from bloat or any other cause. Of the 289 moderate and severe cases of bloat observed during the experiment, 221 occurred on the high clover pasture type (60-80 per cent white clover) ; comparable figures on the medium clover (30-50 per cent white clover) and low clover (15-25 per cent white clover) pasture types were 58 and 10 respectively. In addition to the greater incidence of bloat, liveweight gains on the highest clover pasture were 20-30 per cent lower than on the the other two pasture types in both years. The digestibility and availability of the herbage on the clover-dominant pasture equalled or exceeded that of pastures containing <50 per cent white clover ; reduced liveweight gains were attributed to a depressive effect of bloat on herbage intake.