Crossbred beef steers (12 pens, n=96) were used to determine the effect of adding Agrimos or 5% ground (1 in.) wheat straw compared to a control on body temperature, panting score and performance. Th ere were no differences in final BW, ADG, and DMI among treatments. Feed conversion was increased for cattle fed 5% additional ground straw when compared to control and Agrimos. Hot carcass weight, dressing %, LM area, and marbling score were not different among treatments. Cattle fed the control had greater 12th rib fat depth and USDA yield grade than cattle fed straw or Agrimos. Both average and maximum body temperatures were slightly greater for cattle fed Agrimos than for cattle fed control or added straw. Panting scores were decreased slightly for cattle fed the extra straw when compared to control and Agrimos. The addition of Agrimos or wheat straw to the diet had minimal effects on heat stress measures

Bittner, Curtis J., Bittner

Boyd, Bradley M.

Cawdell- Smith, Judy

Erickson, Galen E.

Gaughan, John B.

Hilscher, Henry

Mader, Terry L.

Sullivan, Megan

Wijffels, Gene

English

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports Animal Science Department 2017 The Effect of Supplementing Mannan Oligosaccharide or Finely Ground Fiber, during the Summer on Body Temperature, Performance, and Blood Metabolites of Finishing Steers Bradley M. Boyd University of Nebraska-Lincoln, bboyd4@unl.edu Terry L. Mader University of Nebraska - Lincoln, tmader1@unl.edu Curtis J. Bittner Bittner University of Nebraska-Lincoln, curtis.bittner@unl.edu Henry Hilscher University of Nebraska-Lincoln Gene Wijffels University of Nebraska-Lincoln See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr  Part of the Large or Food Animal and Equine Medicine Commons, Meat Science Commons, and the Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Epidemiology, and Public Health Commons Boyd, Bradley M.; Mader, Terry L.; Bittner, Curtis J. Bittner; Hilscher, Henry; Wijffels, Gene; Gaughan, John B.; Sullivan, Megan; Cawdell- Smith, Judy; and Erickson, Galen E., "The Effect of Supplementing Mannan Oligosaccharide or Finely Ground Fiber, during the Summer on Body Temperature, Performance, and Blood Metabolites of Finishing Steers" (2017). Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports. 925. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/925 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Animal Science Department at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Authors Bradley M. Boyd, Terry L. Mader, Curtis J. Bittner Bittner, Henry Hilscher, Gene Wijffels, John B. Gaughan, Megan Sullivan, Judy Cawdell- Smith, and Galen E. Erickson This article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/925 2017 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report · 93 ©  Th e Board Regents of the University of Nebraska. All rights reserved.ProcedureA fi nishing study was conducted utiliz-ing crossbred beef steers (96 steers, 12 pens) to study the eff ects of feeding mannan oli-gosaccharide (Agrimos; Lallemand Animal Nutrition; Montreal, Canada) and fi nely ground wheat straw on steer performance, body temperature, panting score, and blood metabolites during summer condi-tions. Steers were fed at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln (UNL) Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center research feedlot near Mead, Nebraska.Cattle were limit- fed a diet consisting of 50% Sweet Bran (Cargill, Blair, Neb) and 50% alfalfa hay at an estimated 2% of BW for fi ve days prior to an initial BW being col-lected. Initial BW were collected over a 2 d period on day 0 and 1 of the experiment and averaged. Steers were stratifi ed by initial BW and assigned randomly to pen within strata. Treatment was assigned randomly to pen. has been shown to increase the amount of short chain fatty acids present in the cecum which can provide oxidative protection to intestinal cells. Th e addition of fi ber to a fi nishing diet may also displace some energy therefore reducing metabolic heat load. Th is is supported by a study where a decrease in steer body temperature with the addition of increased fi ber levels to the diet was observed (1997 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report, pp. 85– 88).Environmental stress has been a researched topic for the past few decades however, little is known about how feeding a yeast supplement or fi ne ground wheat straw will aff ect feedlot steer performance and body temperature. Th erefore, the objec-tive of the current study was to determine the eff ect of feeding a yeast supplement or adding fi nely ground wheat straw on steer performance, body temperature, panting scores, and blood metabolites.Bradley M. BoydTerry L. MaderCurt BittnerHenry HilscherGene Wijff elsJohn B. GaughanMegan SullivanJudy Cawdell- SmithGalen E. EricksonSummary with ImplicationsCrossbred beef steers (12 pens, n=96) were used to determine the eff ect of adding Agrimos or 5% ground (1 in.) wheat straw compared to a control on body tempera-ture, panting score and performance. Th ere were no diff erences in fi nal BW, ADG, and DMI among treatments. Feed conversion was increased for cattle fed 5% additional ground straw when compared to control and Agrimos. Hot carcass weight, dressing %, LM area, and marbling score were not diff erent among treatments. Cattle fed the control had greater 12th rib fat depth and USDA yield grade than cattle fed straw or Agrimos. Both average and maximum body temperatures were slightly greater for cattle fed Agrimos than for cattle fed control or added straw. Panting scores were decreased slightly for cattle fed the extra straw when compared to control and Agrimos. Th e addition of Agri-mos or wheat straw to the diet had minimal eff ects on heat stress measures.IntroductionFeeding prebiotics in an eff ort to reduce the negative eff ects of heat stress has pri-marily been studied in poultry. Studies have shown that feeding mannan oligosaccharide in the diet of poultry helped reduce some of the detrimental eff ects of heat stress in terms of reducing oxidative damage to the small intestine. In addition to feeding probiotics, feeding increased levels of fi ber  Th e Eff ect of Supplementing Mannan Oligosaccharide or Finely Ground Fiber, during the Summer on Body Temperature, Performance, and Blood Metabolites of Finishing SteersTable 1. Main eff ect of treatment on animal performance and carcass characteristicsControl Straw Agrimos SEM P- ValuePerformanceInitial BW, lb 1056 1057 1056 5 0.98Final BW, lb 1525 1501 1519 13 0.38DMI, lb/d  27.3 28.0 27.1 0.5 0.43ADG, lb 3.97 3.76 3.93 0.10 0.24Hot Period DMI1, lb/d 26.2 27.7 26.3 0.6 0.19NEg Intake, Mcal/d 14.50 14.02 14.38 0.25 0.39F:G, 6.89b 7.46a 6.94b 0.12 0.02Carcass CharacteristicsHCW, lb 961 945 957 8 0.38Dressing % 62.3 61.7 62.0 0.3 0.36LM Area, in2 13.5 13.7 13.8 0.2 0.4512th Rib Fat, in 0.60b 0.51a 0.53a 0.02 0.01Marbling2 474 471 476 8 0.38USDA Yield Grade3 3.9b 3.5a 3.5a 0.3 0. 36Values within rows with unique superscripts are diff erent (P < 0.05)1Period between 6/25/2015 and 7/27/20152300 = slight, 400 = Small, 500 = Modest.3Calculated as 2.5 + (2.5 x 12th rib fat) + (0.2 x 2.5[KPH]) + (0.0038 x HCW)– (0.32 x REA)94 · 2017 Nebraska Beef Cattle Reportsen between June 25, 2015 and July 27, 2015 and body temperatures and panting score were analyzed separately from the previously stated analysis for this timeframe.ResultsTh ere was no diff erence (P ≥ 0.19; Table 1) between treatments for initial BW, fi nal BW, ADG, DMI, warm period DMI, or NEg intake. However, F:G became poorer (P < 0.05) for STRAW when compared to CON or MOS cattle. Hot carcass weight, dressing %, LM area, and marbling score were not diff erent (P ≥ 0.36) between treatments. However, a diff erence (P < 0.02) in 12th rib fat depth and USDA yield grade was observed. Cattle fed CON had the greatest 12th rib fat depth and USDA yield grade when compared to MOS and STRAW cattle which were not diff erent (P > 0.05).Average and maximum body tempera-ture were greatest (P < 0.05; Table 2) for cattle fed MOS when compared to CON and STRAW treatments, which were not diff erent (P > 0.05). Cattle fed STRAW had reduced panting scores (P < 0.05) when compared to cattle fed CON and MOS, which were not diff erent (P > 0.05). Average and maximum body temperature were also greater (P < 0.01; Table 2) for MOS cattle during the selected warm period. Panting scores also followed a similar pattern and were the greatest (P < 0.05) for MOS cattle and least for STRAW, with CON cattle being intermediate. Th ere was no observed diff erence in area under the curve for body temperature (P > 0.05) between treatments. Numerically, cattle fed MOS had greater area under the curve body temperature (P = 0.18) suggesting that the addition of MOS to the diet had little impact on physical heat stress experienced by the animal.Th ere was a treatment ˟ time interaction (P < 0.05; Table 3) observed for hemoglobin and hematocrit levels. Th ese interactions would suggest that over time and as envi-ronmental conditions changed, there are diff erences in how these dietary treatments aff ect how the steers react metabolically. Th e observed interaction for hemoglobin, and hematocrit levels could be of importance as other research would suggest these me-tabolites are correlated with environmental temperature. Bilirubin has also been found resulted in a total of 7 blood collections throughout the duration of the trial.Environmental temperature, humidity, solar radiation, wind speed and baromet-ric pressure were collected automatically every 30 min throughout the duration of the trial using a Davis Vantage Pro 2 (Davis Instruments Vernon, IL) weather station located on site directly behind the pens. All cattle received a SmartStock (SmartStock; LLC. Pawnee, OK) temperature monitor-ing rumen bolus during the fi rst blood collection on d 21 of the trial. Boluses were programmed to transmit individual body temperature in twenty minute intervals to a receiver and transmitted to a central computer. In addition to body temperature, panting scores were collected by a trained individual each weekday at 1400. Scores were taken from outside the pen in the feed alley as to not disturb the animals.Performance and carcass data were an-alyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS (SAS Institute, Inc. Carry, N. C.) with pen as the experimental unit. Body temperatures were analyzed using the GLIMMIX proce-dure of SAS (SAS Institute, Inc.) with pen as the experimental unit. Average, maximum and area under the curve (AUC) were eval-uated for body temperature. Panting scores were also analyzed using the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS. A warm period was cho-Th e trial was conducted during the summer of 2015 utilizing summer yearlings (initial BW = 1055±25 lb). Cattle were on feed for 121 days with the trial starting on May 26, 2015 and cattle harvested on September 23, 2015 at Greater Omaha.Th e study was a completely random-ized design with three treatments and four replications per treatment. Th e basal diet consisted of 34.25% high- moisture corn (HMC), 34.25 dry- rolled corn (DRC), 20% modifi ed distillers grains plus solubles, 7.5% sorghum silage, and 4% supplement. Cattle were adapted onto the fi nishing diet over a 21- d period by reducing alfalfa inclusion in the diet and increasing levels of HMC/DRC blend. Th e fi rst treatment was a control (CON) consisting of only the basal diet. Th e second treatment included feeding Agrimos (MOS; Lallemand Animal Nutrition, Montreal, Canada) at 30g/steer daily added into the supplement. Th e third treatment consisted of feeding ground (1 in.) wheat straw (STRAW) at 5% of the diet DM replacing 5% of the DRC/HMC blend.Blood samples were collected from each steer via jugular venous puncture. An initial measure was collected on day 23, aft er cattle were fully adapted to the fi nishing diet. Blood samples were collected from every steer on days 23, 37, 44, 51, 58, 65, and 79 of the trial. Th is blood collection schedule Table 2. Main eff ect of treatment on body temperature and panting measurementsP- ValueControl Straw Agrimos SEM Trt Interaction1Overall2Average 102.3a 102.3a 102.6b 0.1 <0.01 <0.01Maximum 105.0a 104.9a 105.5b 0.1 <0.01 <0.01AUC3 2456 2455 2462 1 0.18 0.95Panting Score4 1.75b 1.72a 1.76b 0.01 <0.01 <0.01Hot Period5Average 102.5a 102.5a 102.8b 0.05 <0.01 <0.01Maximum 105.5a 105.4a 105.9b 0.07 <0.01 <0.01AUC3 2460 2460 2467 3 0.18 0.95Panting Score4 1.87ab 1.84a 1.90b 0.01 0.05 <0.01Values within rows with diff erent superscripts are diff erent (P < 0.05)1 Interaction between day and treatment2 Mean values for the entire feeding period3 Area under the curve = Total magnitude of individual animal body temperature change within each treatment4 Panting scores based on 0 to 4 scale with 0 = no panting and 4 = severe distress5 Values for the selected warm period between days 31 and 62 of the trial (6/25/2015– 7/27/2015)2017 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report · 95 to change in response to environmental con-ditions. In the current study, an interaction (P = 0.02; Table 3) was observed between treatment and time for bilirubin levels. Bilirubin may be important as injury to the small intestine remains an issue that can re-sult in decreased animal performance due to heat stress and some research would suggest that bilirubin has a protective eff ect in the small intestine towards oxidative injury.ConclusionIn the present study there were no observed performance benefi ts for cattle supplemented with MOS or STRAW. Th e addition of MOS to the diet slightly increased body temperature both overall and during the selected warm period. Th e addition of STRAW increased F:G. However, no other performance traits were aff ected. While body temperature remained unchanged by the addition of STRAW to the diet, panting scores were decreased slightly when compared to both the CON and MOS diets, possibly suggesting that the addition of fi nely ground wheat straw to the diet may elevate some of the environmental stress experienced by the steers.Bradley M. Boyd, graduate studentTerry L. Mader, professor emeritus, University of Nebraska— Lincoln Department of Animal ScienceCurt Bittner, research technicianHenry Hilscher, feedlot managerGene Wijff els, senior research scientist, CSIRO, Queensland, AustraliaJohn B. Gaughan, associate professor, University of Queensland, Queensland AustraliaMegan Sullivan, postdoctoral research fellow, University of Queensland, Queensland, AustraliaJudy Cawdell- Smith, Senior Lecturer, University of Queensland, Queensland AustraliaGalen E. Erickson, professor, University of Nebraska— Lincoln Department of Animal Science, Lincoln, NETable 3. Simple eff ect means for blood measure in the presence of a collection time × diet interactionP- ValueBlood Measure Control Straw Agrimos SEM1 Trt Int2Bilirubin, mg/dL 0.01 0.26 0.02d 23 0.18a 0.20a 0.19ad 37 0.15a 0.15a 0.17a d 44 0.16a 0.18a 0.17a d 51 0.19a 0.18a 0.19ad 58 0.17a 0.18a 0.20b d 65 0.19a 0.19a 0.20ad 79 0.19a 0.15b 0.18aRed blood cell, cells/L 0.16 0.15 <0.01d 23 8.34ab 8.61b 8.11ad 37 8.22a 8.21a 7.81b d 44 8.13a 8.24a 7.92a d 51 8.03ab 8.24a 7.78bd 58 8.35ab 8.41a 8.01b d 65 8.09a 8.35a 8.00ad 79 8.18a 7.94a 7.92aHematocrit, % 0.5 0.10 <0.01d 23 37.5a 37.1ab 36.2bd 37 37.2a 35.8b 35.6b d 44 37.7a 36.7a 37.0a d 51 37.5a 37.0a 36.6ad 58 39.3a 37.9b 37.9b d 65 37.9a 37.7a 37.8ad 79 38.6a 36.7b 37.1bHemoglobin, g/dL 0.2 0.07 <0.01d 23 13.2a 13.0ab 12.7bd 37 13.4a 12.9b 12.8b d 44 13.5a 13.2a 13.2a d 51 13.5a 13.3a 13.1ad 58 14.1a 13.6b 13.5b d 65 13.6a 13.5a 13.5ad 79 14.0a 13.3b 13.4bValues within rows with unique superscripts diff er P < 0.051 Pooled SEM, n = 7 collections/mean2 Interaction between blood collection and treatment

The Effect of Supplementing Mannan Oligosaccharide or Finely Ground Fiber, during the Summer on Body Temperature, Performance, and Blood Metabolites of Finishing Steers

UNL | Libraries

University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports Animal Science Department 
2017 
The Effect of Supplementing Mannan Oligosaccharide or Finely 
Ground Fiber, during the Summer on Body Temperature, 
Performance, and Blood Metabolites of Finishing Steers 
Bradley M. Boyd 
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, bboyd4@unl.edu 
Terry L. Mader 
University of Nebraska - Lincoln, tmader1@unl.edu 
Curtis J. Bittner Bittner 
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, curtis.bittner@unl.edu 
Henry Hilscher 
University of Nebraska-Lincoln 
Gene Wijffels 
University of Nebraska-Lincoln 
See next page for additional authors 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr 
 Part of the Large or Food Animal and Equine Medicine Commons, Meat Science Commons, and the 
Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Epidemiology, and Public Health Commons 
Boyd, Bradley M.; Mader, Terry L.; Bittner, Curtis J. Bittner; Hilscher, Henry; Wijffels, Gene; Gaughan, John 
B.; Sullivan, Megan; Cawdell- Smith, Judy; and Erickson, Galen E., "The Effect of Supplementing Mannan 
Oligosaccharide or Finely Ground Fiber, during the Summer on Body Temperature, Performance, and 
Blood Metabolites of Finishing Steers" (2017). Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports. 925. 
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/925 
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Animal Science Department at 
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Nebraska Beef Cattle 
Reports by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 
Authors 
Bradley M. Boyd, Terry L. Mader, Curtis J. Bittner Bittner, Henry Hilscher, Gene Wijffels, John B. Gaughan, 
Megan Sullivan, Judy Cawdell- Smith, and Galen E. Erickson 
This article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/
animalscinbcr/925 
2017 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report · 93 
©  Th e Board Regents of the University of 
Nebraska. All rights reserved.
Procedure
A fi nishing study was conducted utiliz-
ing crossbred beef steers (96 steers, 12 pens) 
to study the eff ects of feeding mannan oli-
gosaccharide (Agrimos; Lallemand Animal 
Nutrition; Montreal, Canada) and fi nely 
ground wheat straw on steer performance, 
body temperature, panting score, and 
blood metabolites during summer condi-
tions. Steers were fed at the University of 
Nebraska- Lincoln (UNL) Eastern Nebraska 
Research and Extension Center research 
feedlot near Mead, Nebraska.
Cattle were limit- fed a diet consisting 
of 50% Sweet Bran (Cargill, Blair, Neb) and 
50% alfalfa hay at an estimated 2% of BW 
for fi ve days prior to an initial BW being col-
lected. Initial BW were collected over a 2 d 
period on day 0 and 1 of the experiment and 
averaged. Steers were stratifi ed by initial BW 
and assigned randomly to pen within strata. 
Treatment was assigned randomly to pen. 
has been shown to increase the amount of 
short chain fatty acids present in the cecum 
which can provide oxidative protection 
to intestinal cells. Th e addition of fi ber to 
a fi nishing diet may also displace some 
energy therefore reducing metabolic heat 
load. Th is is supported by a study where a 
decrease in steer body temperature with the 
addition of increased fi ber levels to the diet 
was observed (1997 Nebraska Beef Cattle 
Report, pp. 85– 88).
Environmental stress has been a 
researched topic for the past few decades 
however, little is known about how feeding 
a yeast supplement or fi ne ground wheat 
straw will aff ect feedlot steer performance 
and body temperature. Th erefore, the objec-
tive of the current study was to determine 
the eff ect of feeding a yeast supplement or 
adding fi nely ground wheat straw on steer 
performance, body temperature, panting 
scores, and blood metabolites.
Bradley M. Boyd
Terry L. Mader
Curt Bittner
Henry Hilscher
Gene Wijff els
John B. Gaughan
Megan Sullivan
Judy Cawdell- Smith
Galen E. Erickson
Summary with Implications
Crossbred beef steers (12 pens, n=96) 
were used to determine the eff ect of adding 
Agrimos or 5% ground (1 in.) wheat straw 
compared to a control on body tempera-
ture, panting score and performance. Th ere 
were no diff erences in fi nal BW, ADG, and 
DMI among treatments. Feed conversion 
was increased for cattle fed 5% additional 
ground straw when compared to control and 
Agrimos. Hot carcass weight, dressing %, LM 
area, and marbling score were not diff erent 
among treatments. Cattle fed the control had 
greater 12th rib fat depth and USDA yield 
grade than cattle fed straw or Agrimos. Both 
average and maximum body temperatures 
were slightly greater for cattle fed Agrimos 
than for cattle fed control or added straw. 
Panting scores were decreased slightly for 
cattle fed the extra straw when compared 
to control and Agrimos. Th e addition of Agri-
mos or wheat straw to the diet had minimal 
eff ects on heat stress measures.
Introduction
Feeding prebiotics in an eff ort to reduce 
the negative eff ects of heat stress has pri-
marily been studied in poultry. Studies have 
shown that feeding mannan oligosaccharide 
in the diet of poultry helped reduce some 
of the detrimental eff ects of heat stress in 
terms of reducing oxidative damage to 
the small intestine. In addition to feeding 
probiotics, feeding increased levels of fi ber 
 Th e Eff ect of Supplementing Mannan Oligosaccharide or 
Finely Ground Fiber, during the Summer on Body Temperature, 
Performance, and Blood Metabolites of Finishing Steers
Table 1. Main eff ect of treatment on animal performance and carcass characteristics
Control Straw Agrimos SEM P- Value
Performance
Initial BW, lb 1056 1057 1056 5 0.98
Final BW, lb 1525 1501 1519 13 0.38
DMI, lb/d  27.3 28.0 27.1 0.5 0.43
ADG, lb 3.97 3.76 3.93 0.10 0.24
Hot Period DMI1, lb/d 26.2 27.7 26.3 0.6 0.19
NEg Intake, Mcal/d 14.50 14.02 14.38 0.25 0.39
F:G, 6.89b 7.46a 6.94b 0.12 0.02
Carcass Characteristics
HCW, lb 961 945 957 8 0.38
Dressing % 62.3 61.7 62.0 0.3 0.36
LM Area, in2 13.5 13.7 13.8 0.2 0.45
12th Rib Fat, in 0.60b 0.51a 0.53a 0.02 0.01
Marbling2 474 471 476 8 0.38
USDA Yield Grade3 3.9b 3.5a 3.5a 0.3 0. 36
Values within rows with unique superscripts are diff erent (P < 0.05)
1Period between 6/25/2015 and 7/27/2015
2300 = slight, 400 = Small, 500 = Modest.
3Calculated as 2.5 + (2.5 x 12th rib fat) + (0.2 x 2.5[KPH]) + (0.0038 x HCW)– (0.32 x REA)
94 · 2017 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report
sen between June 25, 2015 and July 27, 2015 
and body temperatures and panting score 
were analyzed separately from the previously 
stated analysis for this timeframe.
Results
Th ere was no diff erence (P ≥ 0.19; Table 
1) between treatments for initial BW, fi nal 
BW, ADG, DMI, warm period DMI, or NEg 
intake. However, F:G became poorer (P < 
0.05) for STRAW when compared to CON 
or MOS cattle. Hot carcass weight, dressing 
%, LM area, and marbling score were not 
diff erent (P ≥ 0.36) between treatments. 
However, a diff erence (P < 0.02) in 12th 
rib fat depth and USDA yield grade was 
observed. Cattle fed CON had the greatest 
12th rib fat depth and USDA yield grade 
when compared to MOS and STRAW cattle 
which were not diff erent (P > 0.05).
Average and maximum body tempera-
ture were greatest (P < 0.05; Table 2) for 
cattle fed MOS when compared to CON 
and STRAW treatments, which were not 
diff erent (P > 0.05). Cattle fed STRAW had 
reduced panting scores (P < 0.05) when 
compared to cattle fed CON and MOS, 
which were not diff erent (P > 0.05). Average 
and maximum body temperature were also 
greater (P < 0.01; Table 2) for MOS cattle 
during the selected warm period. Panting 
scores also followed a similar pattern and 
were the greatest (P < 0.05) for MOS cattle 
and least for STRAW, with CON cattle 
being intermediate. Th ere was no observed 
diff erence in area under the curve for body 
temperature (P > 0.05) between treatments. 
Numerically, cattle fed MOS had greater 
area under the curve body temperature (P 
= 0.18) suggesting that the addition of MOS 
to the diet had little impact on physical heat 
stress experienced by the animal.
Th ere was a treatment ˟ time interaction 
(P < 0.05; Table 3) observed for hemoglobin 
and hematocrit levels. Th ese interactions 
would suggest that over time and as envi-
ronmental conditions changed, there are 
diff erences in how these dietary treatments 
aff ect how the steers react metabolically. Th e 
observed interaction for hemoglobin, and 
hematocrit levels could be of importance 
as other research would suggest these me-
tabolites are correlated with environmental 
temperature. Bilirubin has also been found 
resulted in a total of 7 blood collections 
throughout the duration of the trial.
Environmental temperature, humidity, 
solar radiation, wind speed and baromet-
ric pressure were collected automatically 
every 30 min throughout the duration of 
the trial using a Davis Vantage Pro 2 (Davis 
Instruments Vernon, IL) weather station 
located on site directly behind the pens. All 
cattle received a SmartStock (SmartStock; 
LLC. Pawnee, OK) temperature monitor-
ing rumen bolus during the fi rst blood 
collection on d 21 of the trial. Boluses were 
programmed to transmit individual body 
temperature in twenty minute intervals 
to a receiver and transmitted to a central 
computer. In addition to body temperature, 
panting scores were collected by a trained 
individual each weekday at 1400. Scores 
were taken from outside the pen in the feed 
alley as to not disturb the animals.
Performance and carcass data were an-
alyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS 
(SAS Institute, Inc. Carry, N. C.) with pen as 
the experimental unit. Body temperatures 
were analyzed using the GLIMMIX proce-
dure of SAS (SAS Institute, Inc.) with pen as 
the experimental unit. Average, maximum 
and area under the curve (AUC) were eval-
uated for body temperature. Panting scores 
were also analyzed using the GLIMMIX 
procedure of SAS. A warm period was cho-
Th e trial was conducted during the summer 
of 2015 utilizing summer yearlings (initial 
BW = 1055±25 lb). Cattle were on feed for 
121 days with the trial starting on May 26, 
2015 and cattle harvested on September 23, 
2015 at Greater Omaha.
Th e study was a completely random-
ized design with three treatments and four 
replications per treatment. Th e basal diet 
consisted of 34.25% high- moisture corn 
(HMC), 34.25 dry- rolled corn (DRC), 20% 
modifi ed distillers grains plus solubles, 
7.5% sorghum silage, and 4% supplement. 
Cattle were adapted onto the fi nishing 
diet over a 21- d period by reducing alfalfa 
inclusion in the diet and increasing levels 
of HMC/DRC blend. Th e fi rst treatment 
was a control (CON) consisting of only the 
basal diet. Th e second treatment included 
feeding Agrimos (MOS; Lallemand Animal 
Nutrition, Montreal, Canada) at 30g/steer 
daily added into the supplement. Th e third 
treatment consisted of feeding ground (1 
in.) wheat straw (STRAW) at 5% of the diet 
DM replacing 5% of the DRC/HMC blend.
Blood samples were collected from each 
steer via jugular venous puncture. An initial 
measure was collected on day 23, aft er cattle 
were fully adapted to the fi nishing diet. 
Blood samples were collected from every 
steer on days 23, 37, 44, 51, 58, 65, and 79 
of the trial. Th is blood collection schedule 
Table 2. Main eff ect of treatment on body temperature and panting measurements
P- Value
Control Straw Agrimos SEM Trt Interaction1
Overall2
Average 102.3a 102.3a 102.6b 0.1 <0.01 <0.01
Maximum 105.0a 104.9a 105.5b 0.1 <0.01 <0.01
AUC3 2456 2455 2462 1 0.18 0.95
Panting Score4 1.75b 1.72a 1.76b 0.01 <0.01 <0.01
Hot Period5
Average 102.5a 102.5a 102.8b 0.05 <0.01 <0.01
Maximum 105.5a 105.4a 105.9b 0.07 <0.01 <0.01
AUC3 2460 2460 2467 3 0.18 0.95
Panting Score4 1.87ab 1.84a 1.90b 0.01 0.05 <0.01
Values within rows with diff erent superscripts are diff erent (P < 0.05)
1 Interaction between day and treatment
2 Mean values for the entire feeding period
3 Area under the curve = Total magnitude of individual animal body temperature change within each treatment
4 Panting scores based on 0 to 4 scale with 0 = no panting and 4 = severe distress
5 Values for the selected warm period between days 31 and 62 of the trial (6/25/2015– 7/27/2015)
2017 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report · 95 
to change in response to environmental con-
ditions. In the current study, an interaction 
(P = 0.02; Table 3) was observed between 
treatment and time for bilirubin levels. 
Bilirubin may be important as injury to the 
small intestine remains an issue that can re-
sult in decreased animal performance due to 
heat stress and some research would suggest 
that bilirubin has a protective eff ect in the 
small intestine towards oxidative injury.
Conclusion
In the present study there were no 
observed performance benefi ts for cattle 
supplemented with MOS or STRAW. 
Th e addition of MOS to the diet slightly 
increased body temperature both overall 
and during the selected warm period. 
Th e addition of STRAW increased F:G. 
However, no other performance traits were 
aff ected. While body temperature remained 
unchanged by the addition of STRAW to 
the diet, panting scores were decreased 
slightly when compared to both the CON 
and MOS diets, possibly suggesting that the 
addition of fi nely ground wheat straw to the 
diet may elevate some of the environmental 
stress experienced by the steers.
Bradley M. Boyd, graduate student
Terry L. Mader, professor emeritus, 
University of Nebraska— Lincoln 
Department of Animal Science
Curt Bittner, research technician
Henry Hilscher, feedlot manager
Gene Wijff els, senior research scientist, 
CSIRO, Queensland, Australia
John B. Gaughan, associate professor, 
University of Queensland, Queensland 
Australia
Megan Sullivan, postdoctoral research 
fellow, University of Queensland, 
Queensland, Australia
Judy Cawdell- Smith, Senior Lecturer, 
University of Queensland, Queensland 
Australia
Galen E. Erickson, professor, University of 
Nebraska— Lincoln Department of Animal 
Science, Lincoln, NE
Table 3. Simple eff ect means for blood measure in the presence of a collection time × diet interaction
P- Value
Blood Measure Control Straw Agrimos SEM1 Trt Int2
Bilirubin, mg/dL 0.01 0.26 0.02
d 23 0.18a 0.20a 0.19a
d 37 0.15a 0.15a 0.17a
 d 44 0.16a 0.18a 0.17a
 d 51 0.19a 0.18a 0.19a
d 58 0.17a 0.18a 0.20b
 d 65 0.19a 0.19a 0.20a
d 79 0.19a 0.15b 0.18a
Red blood cell, cells/L 0.16 0.15 <0.01
d 23 8.34ab 8.61b 8.11a
d 37 8.22a 8.21a 7.81b
 d 44 8.13a 8.24a 7.92a
 d 51 8.03ab 8.24a 7.78b
d 58 8.35ab 8.41a 8.01b
 d 65 8.09a 8.35a 8.00a
d 79 8.18a 7.94a 7.92a
Hematocrit, % 0.5 0.10 <0.01
d 23 37.5a 37.1ab 36.2b
d 37 37.2a 35.8b 35.6b
 d 44 37.7a 36.7a 37.0a
 d 51 37.5a 37.0a 36.6a
d 58 39.3a 37.9b 37.9b
 d 65 37.9a 37.7a 37.8a
d 79 38.6a 36.7b 37.1b
Hemoglobin, g/dL 0.2 0.07 <0.01
d 23 13.2a 13.0ab 12.7b
d 37 13.4a 12.9b 12.8b
 d 44 13.5a 13.2a 13.2a
 d 51 13.5a 13.3a 13.1a
d 58 14.1a 13.6b 13.5b
 d 65 13.6a 13.5a 13.5a
d 79 14.0a 13.3b 13.4b
Values within rows with unique superscripts diff er P < 0.05
1 Pooled SEM, n = 7 collections/mean
2 Interaction between blood collection and treatment


https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1943&amp;context=animalscinbcr

The Effect of Supplementing Mannan Oligosaccharide or Finely Ground Fiber, during the Summer on Body Temperature, Performance, and Blood Metabolites of Finishing Steers

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