A study of the East Kimberley cattle industry.

Auty, John Hubert. (1965). A study of the East Kimberley cattle industry. Master's Thesis, , The University of Queensland.

       
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Author Auty, John Hubert.
Thesis Title A study of the East Kimberley cattle industry.
Institution The University of Queensland
Publication date 1965
Thesis type Master's Thesis
Total pages 62
Language eng
Subjects 0707 Veterinary Sciences
0701 Agriculture, Land and Farm Management
Formatted abstract 1. This thesis brings together all available information on the East Kimberley cattle industry to serve as a basis for future survey and experimentation in the area.

2. The East Kimberley region and the present extensive cattle industry are described.

3. The support agriculture at the Ord River is outlined together with its probable value in supplying oilseed by-products to the cattle industry.

4. The use of cottonseed by-products in range supplementation is reviewed briefly.

5. A series of experiments at Kimberley Research Station using linseed meal as the protein source for supplementation of local Shorthorn cattle shows that the use of h protein meal will solve many of the problems of cattle husbandry in the region.

6. A pilot experiment with steers showed that unsupplemented steers have growth patterns resembling those found in similar environments. The steers rapidly respond after rain and make weight increases for approximately six months. This increase is followed by a period of weight stability and then loss. After early rains there is a precipitous loss of weight.

7. Supplemented steers will continue to gain weight during the dry season but show a fall in weight after, early rain. The phenomenon of compensatory gain is shown by steers after low plane feeding but is not complete in one season.

8. An experiment with steers over three years from weaning reinforced the results obtained frog the pilot experiment. At the end of the three year period steers supplemented in all three seasons were the only animals to have significant weight gains. The phenomenon of compensatory gain was seen and was of sufficient magnitude to outweigh the effects of supplementation.

9. Despite the failure of supplementation to produce significant weight gains it did prevent deaths in the second year and high protein meal probably has value for this purpose in range cattle management.

10. In an experiment with maiden heifers supplementation resulted in significant weight changes to the end of the dry season. However compensatory gain before and following calving eliminated these differences.

11. When cows with calves at foot were not supplemented deaths occurred at the end of the dry season. Such deaths could be prevented by supplementation with small amounts of high protein meal (50 lbs. per head per annum).

12. Calf birth weights were in the normal range for the Shorthorn breed.

13. Small trials with a variety of oilseeds produced at the Ord River showed that with the exception of mustard seed and undelinted cottonseed all oilseeds tested were highly palatable to cattle.

14. The results of these trials are discussed with reference to the present cattle industry and it appears that the short term role of local agricultural by-products will be in supplementation of range breeders to increase the productivity of this class of animal and to bring them to the meatworks at the end of their useful life.

15. Due to the over-riding effect of compensatory gain it appears that better definition of other classes of animals and times and levels of supplementation is required before by-products should be used for feeding either weaners or steers.
Keyword Cattle -- Western Australia -- Kimberley, Eastern.

 
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