@article {3672,
	title = {BRIEF COMMUNICATION: Comparison of meat quality characteristics of lambs weaned at eight or 14 weeks of age grazing perennial ryegrass-white clover pasture or a plantain-clover mix},
	journal = {New Zealand Journal of Animal Science and Production},
	volume = {79},
	year = {2019},
	month = {07/2019},
	pages = {159-161},
	address = {Palmerston North},
	abstract = {This study compared the meat quality of lambs grazing either perennial ryegrass-white clover pasture or a plantain-clover mix (plantain, red clover, and white clover) from eight to 14 weeks of age followed by a six-week finishing period on perennial ryegrass-white clover pasture. Ewes and their lambs were allocated to four treatments: 1) lambs weaned early (eight weeks of age) on a plantain-clover mix (EARLY), 2) lambs with dam grazing a plantain-clover mix (HERB), 3) lambs with dam grazing pasture  >1200 kgDM/ha (HIGH), and 4) lambs with dam grazing pasture <1200 kgDM/ha (LOW). Following the treatment period, all lambs weighing a minimum of 35 kg were sent for slaughter and all remaining lambs were managed and finished as one mob on perennial ryegrass-white clover pasture for a further six weeks. Lambs that reached a minimum 35 kg live weight were slaughtered and meat samples from each lamb were analysed for ultimate pH, meat colour (L*, a*, b*), drip loss and shear force but, no difference was found in objective meat quality characteristics of lambs from different treatments.},
	issn = {1176-5283},
	author = {Kok JC and Schreurs NM and Cranston LM and Corner-Thomas RA and Ekanayake WEMLJ and Morris ST and Kenyon PR}
}
@article {3672,
	title = {Characterisation of the nutritional composition of plant components of a herb-clover mix during November to May in New Zealand},
	journal = {New Zealand Journal of Animal Science and Production},
	volume = {79},
	year = {2019},
	month = {07/2019},
	pages = {162-167},
	address = {Palmerston North},
	abstract = {Animal performance on herb-clover mixes (containing plantain, chicory, red clover and white clover) can be inconsistent. Potentially this could be due to variation in botanical and nutritional composition of plant components affecting animal selectivity and, thus, performance. Herbage samples were collected monthly from November 2016 to May 2017, from 3 paddocks located at Massey University{\textquoteright}s Keeble farm, Palmerston North, New Zealand. Quadrat-cut samples were used to determine the herbage mass and botanical composition. Hand-plucked samples of each plant components were analysed for the nutritional composition. The botanical composition of the herb-clover mix differed over time (P<0.05). The percentage of chicory stems increased (9.2 to 16.2\%) and plantain stems decreased (14.7 to 1.0\%, P<0.001). Overall, the crude protein and metabolisable energy of white clover, red clover, plantain and chicory leaves were higher (P<0.05) than those of plantain and chicory stems in each month except in November. These data indicate that a higher proportion of chicory and plantain stems in a herb-clover mix would reduce overall metabolisable energy and crude protein. This information can be useful for farmers to manipulate both the botanical and nutritional composition of herb-clover mix to optimise animal performance.},
	issn = {1176-5283},
	author = {Ekanayake WEMLJ and Corner-Thomas RA and Cranston LM and Hickson RE and Kenyon PR and Morris ST}
}
@article {3672,
	title = {Effects of early weaning onto herb-clover mixes on lamb carcass characteristics},
	journal = {New Zealand Journal of Animal Science and Production},
	volume = {78},
	year = {2018},
	month = {07/2018},
	pages = {189-193},
	address = {Lincoln},
	abstract = {Ewes and their twin lambs (weighing at least 16 kg) were allocated to three treatments: lambs with dams on ryegrass-white clover
(RG-WC) pasture until 15 weeks of age (GRASS) (lambs; n=50), lambs with dams on herb-clover mixes (plantain, chicory, red
and white clovers) until 15 weeks of age (HERB) (lambs; n=50), and lambs weaned early (8 weeks old) onto herb-clover mixes and
dams on RG-WC pasture (EARLY) (lambs; n=50). Average daily gain, GR soft-tissue depth and muscularity of lambs in EARLY
and GRASS were lower than those in the HERB treatment (P<0.05). The muscle to bone ratio of lambs in HERB treatment was
higher than those in the EARLY treatment (P<0.05). Lambs can be weaned at 8 weeks of age onto herb-clover mixes to achieve
similar carcass characteristics compared to lambs weaned at 15 weeks of age on RG-WC pasture. Lambs weaned early onto herbclover
mixes had lower growth rates than the lambs not weaned early on herb-clover mixes. There were no negative effects on
lamb carcass characteristics and lean-meat yield (LMY) when lambs were slaughtered at a set weight.},
	issn = {1176-5283},
	author = {Wong HX and Schreurs NM and Corner-Thomas RA and Ekanayake WEMLJ and Cranston LM and Morris ST and Kenyon PR}
}
@conference {3672,
	title = {The effect of live weight at weaning on liveweight gain of early weaned lambs onto a herb-clover mixed sward},
	booktitle = {Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	volume = {77},
	year = {2017},
	month = {06/2017},
	pages = {37-42},
	address = {Rotorua},
	abstract = {Twin lambs that weighed a minimum of 16 kg (n=134 in 2014 and n=124 in 2015) were randomly allocated to one of three treat-ments: (i) Early weaning (54 and 46 days after the midpoint of lambing in 2014 and 2015, respectively) onto a herb-clover mixed sward (plantain, chicory, red clover and white clover) (HerbEW); (ii) Lambs + dams unweaned on a herb-clover mixed sward until conventional weaning at approximately  13 weeks of age  (HerbCW); and (iii) Lambs + dams unweaned on a grass-clover mixed sward until conventional weaning (GrassCW). In 2014, overall greater (P<0.05) liveweight gains were found in HerbCW lambs followed by HerbEW and GrassCW lambs. In 2015, liveweight gains of HerbCW and GrassCW lambs did not differ (P>0.05), but were greater than gains of HerbEW lambs (P<0.05). In 2014, HerbEW lambs that were > 20 kg grew more quickly than HerbEW lambs that were <18 kg (P<0.05). In 2015, HerbEW lambs had similar rate of liveweight gain irrespective of their live weight at treatment allocation (P>0.05). Lambs can be weaned early onto herb-clover mixed swards and achieve greater liveweight gains after wean-ing compared to lambs unweaned on grass-clover mixed sward. Weaning lambs less than 20 kg onto herb-clover mixed sward, however, can result in lower lamb liveweight gain compared to heavier lambs.},
	issn = {1176-5283},
	author = {Ekanayake WEMLJ and Corner-Thomas RA and Cranston LM and Kenyon PR and Morris ST}
}
