Reducing Particle Size Enhances Chemical Treatment in Finishing Diets

Three hundred-sixty calf-fed steers were fed either treated or untreated corn stover that was previously ground through a 1-in or 3–in screen. Treated stover diets improved ADG and F:G compared to untreated. Reducing particle size improved ADG and F:G but did not influence DMI. Compared to a control diet with 5% roughage and 15 percentage units more corn, diets with 20% treated corn stover had similar F:G, ADG, DMI, and carcass quality. Up to 15% additional corn can be replaced with treated corn stover when diets contain wet distillers grains, and may be further enhanced by reducing particle size before chemical treatment

Reducing Particle Size Enhances Chemical Treatment in Finishing Diets

Three hundred-sixty calf-fed steers were fed either treated or untreated corn stover that was previously ground through a 1-in or 3–in screen. Treated stover diets improved ADG and F:G compared to untreated. Reducing particle size improved ADG and F:G but did not influence DMI. Compared to a control diet with 5% roughage and 15 percentage units more corn, diets with 20% treated corn stover had similar F:G, ADG, DMI, and carcass quality. Up to 15% additional corn can be replaced with treated corn stover when diets contain wet distillers grains, and may be further enhanced by reducing particle size before chemical treatment

Digestibility of Crop Residues After Chemical Treatment and Anaerobic Storage

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate factors affecting crop residue digestibility. Corn stover, corn cobs, and wheat straw were alkaline treated at low (35%) or high (50%) moisture and then anaerobically stored at 30 °C or 40 °C. Chemical treatment increased in vitro DM digestibility of all residues by 14 to 21 percentage units (35% to 62% improvement). Samples stored at 50% DM and 40oC were most digestible. Cobs were inherently more digestible than straw or corn stalks. Percentage of total improvement in DM digestibility by optimizing DM, ambient temperature, and chemical treatment was: stalks, 43%; wheat straw, 38%;, and cobs, 34%. Digestibility of low quality crop residues can be improved markedly by chemical treatment

Chemical Treatment of Low-quality Forages to Replace Corn in Cattle Finishing Diets

A finishing experiment evaluated substitution of corn with crop residues in diets containing wet distillers grains. Corn stover, corn cobs, and wheat straw were alkaline treated at 50% moisture or fed without chemical treatment at 20% inclusion. Chemical treatment improved performance compared to untreated. Compared to control (10% roughage), treated diets had similar performance and carcass merit. Economic analysis revealed $6.46,$21.42, and $36.30 average profit per head advantage for diets containing treated residues relative to control when corn was priced at$3.00, $4.50, and$6.00 per bushel. Feeding chemically treated crop residues and wet distillers grains is a cost-effective strategy for replacing corn in feedlot diets without compromising performance or carcass quality

Varying Proportions and Amounts of Distillers Grains and Alkaline-Treated Forage as Substitutes for Corn Grain in Finishing Cattle Diets

A 124-day individually fed finishing study was conducted to evaluate corn grain replacement by distillers grain and 5% CaO treated crop residue. Dietary treatments were two ratios (2:1 or 3:1) of modified distillers grains and treated crop residues (DGCR), two types of treated crop residue (corn stover or wheat straw) at 3:1 ratio, and then with three dry rolled corn (DRC) levels (10%, 25%, 40%; DM basis). Steers fed diets containing as little as 25% corn and 3:1 ratios of distillers grains and CaO treated crop residues can achieve similar F:G compared with cattle fed diets containing 5% roughage and 56% corn

Effect of Feeding Greater Amounts of Calcium Oxide Treated Corn Stover and Micro-Aid® on Performance and Nutrient Mass Balance

Feedlot performance and mass balance were evaluated on steers fed either 5% untreated corn stover (CON), 20% untreated corn stover (NONTRT), or 20% calcium oxide (CaO) treated corn stover (TRT) when fed with or without saponins (Micro-Aid) in a 3x2 factorial. In both WINTER and SUMMER experiments, ADG, F:G and HCW were improved (P \u3c 0.01) in CON and TRT fed steers compared to NONTRT fed steers. Micro-Aid fed steers had slightly greater ADG and DMI in the SUMMER. Manure% nitrogen (N) was greatest when NONTRT and TRT were fed compared to steers on CON diet. However, neither diet nor Micro-Aid influenced manure N amounts or N losses across both seasons

Chemical Composition, <i>in Vitro</i> Fermentation Characteristics, and <i>in Vivo</i> Digestibility Responses by Dogs to Select Corn Fibers

The objective was to examine the chemical composition, <i>in vitro</i> fermentation characteristics, and <i>in vivo</i> digestibility responses of fiber-rich corn coproducts resulting from corn wet milling. Native corn fibers, native corn fibers with fines, hydrolyzed corn fibers, and hydrolyzed extracted corn fibers were analyzed chemically and their capacity to produce short-chain fatty acids determined. Ash content was low (<1.2%), crude protein content varied little, but fat and fiber concentrations varied widely. Most fiber was in the insoluble form, with glucose being predominant followed by xylose. Total short-chain fatty acid production ranged from 211.6 to 699.52 µmol/g of dry matter, whereas branched-chain fatty acid production was low. Four corn fibers (native and processed) were included in a canine diet matrix at the 7% inclusion level. Nutrient digestibility, food intake, and fecal characteristics were not affected by corn fiber inclusion in canine diets, suggesting that they should be considered as potential dietary fiber sources in dog foods