Feeding efficiency and behaviour of growing bulls from the main Italian dual-purpose breeds

Abstract

To characterise the main Italian dual-purpose breeds in terms of feed efficiency and behaviour, the dry matter intakes (DMI) of 890 young bulls were collected using automatic feeding systems in two Italian genetic centres. In Experiment 1, Italian Simmental (IS), Rendena (RE) and Alpine Grey (AG) young bulls were fed total mixed ration for 46 days. In Experiment 2, Valdostana Red Pied (VR) and Black Pied and Chestnut (VB) young bulls were fed hay and concentrate for 60 days. The IS and RE bulls grew faster than AG (1.6 vs. 1.3 kg/d, p