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Indirect Determination of Water Retention in Cattle as a means of estimating Energy Exchange

Abstract

THE starch equivalent or net energy system, which is the basis of livestock rationing in Great Britain, measures the nutritive value of feeds in terms of the body storage of energy which occurs when they are given to fattening cattle. Only a small number of respiration chambers and calorimeters are available for work with large animals, and the expense and labour involved in their operation limit the number of experiments which can be carried out. Consequently, published values1 are either the original ones of Kellner2 or crude estimates based on determinations of digestibility of the feed by sheep.

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References

  1. Bull. Min. Agric. London, No. 48 (1933) and No. 124 (1952).

  2. Kellner, O., “Die Ernahr. landw. Nutztiere” (Paul Parey, Berlin, 6th edit., 1912).

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  3. Sobermann, R., Brodie, B. B., Levy, B. B., Axelrod, J., Hollander, V., and Murray Steel, J., J. Biol. Chem., 179, 31 (1949).

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BLAXTER, K., ROOK, J. Indirect Determination of Water Retention in Cattle as a means of estimating Energy Exchange. Nature 171, 609–610 (1953). https://doi.org/10.1038/171609b0

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