A COMPARISON OF CANDLE AND TOWER RAPESEED MEALS IN LAMB, SHEEP AND BEEF STEER RATIONS

Abstract

The meal from Candle, a new strain of rapeseed that is low in erucic acid, glucosinolates and fiber was compared with the meal from Tower rapeseed that is low in erucic acid and glucosinolates. Sheep were fed equal quantities of chopped timothy hay and one of the test rapeseed meals. The digestibility coefficients of the diets containing Candle rapeseed meal with respect to dry matter, nitrogen, organic matter, energy, acid detergent fiber and neutral detergent fiber were significantly greater than those for diets containing Tower rapeseed meal. Lambs were fed a creep ration containing barley or corn and up to 32% rapeseed meal. While there were no differences in lamb growth rates before weaning, those consuming Candle rapeseed meal in the creep rations after weaning tended to grow faster and with greater feed efficiency (kg DM/kg gain; Mcal gross energy/kg gain) than did those receiving Tower rapeseed meal and the corresponding grain. These differences were not statistically significant. Corn silage, barley and Tower or Candle rapeseed meals were fed to growing beef steers in rations formulated to produce weight gains of 0.5, 0.75, or 1.0 kg/day. Those animals receiving Candle rapeseed meal tended to have poorer feed efficiencies at the low rate of gain and better feed efficiencies at the intermediate and high rates of gain although differences in growth were not significant. It was concluded from those experiments that Candle rapeseed meal was as good as, if not better than, Tower rapeseed meal in ruminant rations.