A combination of feeding livestock at night and limiting the amount given increased the rate of gain in feeder cattle by nine percent, says a University of Manitoba researcher.
While results were not identical at every testing site, the results from the Brandon site, where there wasn’t excess feed given to the animals, showed there was an increase in feed efficiency, said Alma Kennedy, the U of M researcher who conducted the two-year study.
“If you’re limiting feed, you’ll get a response,” said Kennedy, who added this is a common practice among feedlot operators.
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If farmers are able to reduce the amount of feed animals need by changing the time they are fed, it may be worth further research, said Kennedy, an associate professor in the department of animal science.
In the two-year study, 500 animals were divided into two groups at three different locations. At the Lethbridge site, half the pens were fed in the morning and half at 8 p.m. Also at this site there was always feed in front of the animals. When the feed truck arrived, there wasn’t a rush to the feed, said Kennedy. There was also never any severely cold weather at this site.
At the Brandon site the animals were given less food. By the time the feed truck arrived, the feed bunk was empty and there was always a rush for the new food, especially during cold weather, she said.
“Under this feeding system you get the best results,” said Kennedy.
At the U of M’s Glenlea farm, lower amounts of feed were given for slower growth with no major changes in feed efficiency.
While it’s difficult to pinpoint the reason for the increased feed efficiency, Kennedy believes that night feeding may have tricked the animals’ metabolism into devoting more energy into muscle building rather than to acclimatizing to winter conditions.
Kennedy said more research must be done on understanding animal metabolism at different times of the day. In studies with people, their ability to process food is worst at night.
