The experiment reported here was conducted to determine the need for supplemental protein in all-concentrate diets composed largely of corn grain and in diets with low levels of roughage (4 lb. of alfalfa haylage). Cattle fed supplements with soybean meal or urea were compared to those fed similar diets without supplemental protein to the corn or corn and alfalfa haylage

Embry, L. B.

Swan, W. S.

English

Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange

South Dakota State UniversityOpen PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access InstitutionalRepository and Information ExchangeSouth Dakota Cattle Feeders Field Day Proceedingsand Research Reports, 1974 Animal Science Reports1974Protein Supplementation for Finishing Cattle FedAll-Concentrate or Low Roughage (Alfalfa) DietsL. B. EmbrySouth Dakota State UniversityW. S. SwanFollow this and additional works at: http://openprairie.sdstate.edu/sd_cattlefeed_1974Part of the Animal Sciences CommonsThis Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Animal Science Reports at Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access InstitutionalRepository and Information Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in South Dakota Cattle Feeders Field Day Proceedings and Research Reports,1974 by an authorized administrator of Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. For moreinformation, please contact michael.biondo@sdstate.edu.Recommended CitationEmbry, L. B. and Swan, W. S., "Protein Supplementation for Finishing Cattle Fed All-Concentrate or Low Roughage (Alfalfa) Diets"(1974). South Dakota Cattle Feeders Field Day Proceedings and Research Reports, 1974. Paper 7.http://openprairie.sdstate.edu/sd_cattlefeed_1974/7South Dakota State University Brookings, South Dakota Department of Animal Science Agricultural Experiment Station A.S. Series 74-6 Protein Supplementation for Finishing Cattle Fed All-Concentrate or Low Roughage (Alfalfa) Diets (Preliminary Report on Experiment In Progress) L. B. Embry and W. S. Swan Age, body weight, sex, weight gain and composition of the weight gain are animal factors involved in the total protein requirement for growing and finishing feedlot cattle. Protein requirements can be expected to vary as the animal grows and fattens and with the rate of growth and fattening. Therefore, protein require­ments cannot be determined accurately for animals of various weights and rates of production in growing and finishing experiments. However, feeding trials are commonly used to determine animal response to various amounts or percentages of protein in supplements or the total diet. While not a precise measure of require­ments at specific weights and rates of production, the method is of practical value in determining appropriate levels of supplementation under various conditions as to animals and diets. The experiment reported here was conducted to determine the need for supple­mental protein in all-concentrate diets composed largely of corn grain and in diets with low levels of roughage (4 lb. of alfalfa haylage). Cattle fed supple­ments with soybean meal or urea were compared to those fed similar diets without supplemental protein to the corn or corn and alfalfa haylage. Procedures The 144 steers (72 Hereford x Angus and 72 Hereford) used in the experiment were from a previous one where they were fed corn silage and protein supplement with soybean meal or urea as the major supplemental protein. They were adjusted to a high-concentrate diet of reconstituted high-moisture corn grain with 4 lb. of alfalfa haylage over a period of about 10 days. The corn was gradually increased to a full feed from an initial level of 5 lb. daily. Haylage was gradually decreased to the 4 lb. level from an initial daily rate of 18 pounds. No supplements were fed with the corn and haylage dur ing a preliminary period of 42 days prior to the finishing experiment. Dietary treatments for the finishing experiment consisted of a corn supple­ment, a soybean meal supplement and a urea supplement each fed at 2 lb. per head daily with the all-concentrate diet and the diet with 4 lb. of alfalfa haylage. Four pens of six cattle each (3 Hereford x Angus and 3 Hereford) were fed one of the six diets (24 pens). Prepared for the Eighteenth Annual Beef Cattle Feeders Day, November 1, 1974. 24 - 2 -The cattle had previously received one of four implant treatments--36 mg zeranol, 36 mg diethylstilbestrol (DES), Synovex-S or served as nonimplanted controls. They were reimplanted with the same product and dosage level 105 days following the initial implanting (about 1 month before the finishing experiment). The cattle were reallotted within the four implant groups into 6 pens of 6 cattle, one of which received each of the six dietary treatments. Corn grain was purchased about 1 month before the experiment and stored in a 17 ft. x 50 ft. oxygen-limiting silo. It was blown into the silo using a silo blower with water added to an auger ahead of the blower. Considerable cracking of the grain occurred and no further processing was used. Other animals were fed from the silo and it was refilled in the same manner in early August. Samples of corn are being collected at time of feeding for chemical analysis. Average protein content on a moisture-free basis is approximately 10. 4%. The haylage was first cutting alfalfa harvested in early June. It was stored in an upright concrete stave silo. Average moisture content as stored averaged about 42% and the protein content on a moisture-free basis was approximately 21%. A com-based supplement was used to provide diets with no supplemental protein to corn or corn and haylage. Soybean meal or urea was used in the other two sup­plements to give a protein content of about 32%. Ingredient composition of the supplements is shown in table 1. Table 1. Ingredient Composition of Supplements Corn SBOM Urea Ingredient suppl. suppl. suppl. % % % Ground corn grain, fine 81. 08 16.58 71. 18 Soybean meal (44%) 69. 00 Urea (46% N) 8. 7 Trace mineral salt, regular 3. 00 3. 00 3. 00 Trace mineral premix 0. 20 0. 20 Dical + Monocal (Cyphos) 2. 50 2. 00 2. 60 Limestone 7. 00 6. 00 5. 60 Calcium sulfate 2. 40 Potassil.llll chloride 5. 80 3. 00 5. 90 Vitamin A (30, 000 IU/g) 0. 70 0. 70 0. 70 (10, 000 IU/lb. ) Vitamin E (100, 000 IU/lb. ) 0.9 gm 0. 9 gm 0. 9 gm (200 IU/lb. suppl. ) Aureomycin-IO (35 mg CTC/lb. suppl. ) 0. 35 0. 35 0. 35 Percent composition (Calculated) Protein 8. 11 32. 02 32.09 Ca 3. 18 2. 93 3. 18 p 0. 70 0. 67 0. 69 K 3. 13 3. 07 3.16 25 - 3 -The cattle were fed once daily in outside, paved pens without shade or shelter. Results The experiment is in progress and preliminary results after 98 days are shown in table 2. Rate of gain up to th1s time is slightly greater for soybean meal and slightly less for urea in comparison to the group without supplemental protein with the all-concentrate diet and the diet with 4 lb. of alfalfa haylage. Feed consumption has been about the same for steers fed the corn supplement or soybean meal. Urea appears to have reduced feed intake either with or without haylage. Steers fed supplemental protein have lower feed requirements than those fed the corn supplement. Table 2. Level and Source of Protein for Finishing Cattle Fed Diets With and Without Roughage Corn SBOM Urea Alfalfa haylage 0 4 lb. 0 4 lb. 0 4 lb. No. of animals 24 24 23 24 24 24 Init. filled wt. , lb. 779 777 776 775 777 779 Final filled wt. , lb. 1041 1086 1050 1100 1031 1081 Avg. daily gain, lb. 2. 68 3.15 2. 80 3. 32 2.59 3. 08 Avg. daily feed, lb. HM corn grain 19. 34 20. 37 19. 24 20. 35 18. 08 18. 9 9  Haylage 0. 14 3. 96 0.14 3. 96 0. 14 3. 96 Suppl. 2. 00 1. 98 1 . 98 1 . 98 1. 9 8  1. 98 Total 21. 48 26 . 31 21 . 36 26 . 29 20. 20 24. 83 Feed/ 100 lb. gain, lb. HM corn grain 728 663 697 615 700 616 Haylage 6 131 5 120 6 131 Suppl. 75 66 73 60 77 66 Total 809 860 775 795 783 813 The 4 lb. of alfalfa haylage have resulted in a considerable improvement (about 18%) in weight gain with all supplements. The response appears to be similar for each supplement. Haylage-fed steers consl.Ull.ed slightly more corn than those fed all-concentrate diets. While total feed requirements are higher with haylage, there is a lower requirement for concentrates (corn plus supplement). In all comparisons between all-concentrate and haylage diets, 100 lb . of haylage as fed reduced concentrate requirements per 100 lb. of gain by 73 pounds. This saving in concentrates along with a shorter feeding period (about 18% faster gain) for a given amount of gain would result in a rather high value for the haylage for equal cost of gains in comparison to all-concentrate diets . Protein requirements of growing and finishing feedlot cattle decrease as a percentage of the diet with increasing weight and fatness. It would , therefore, 26 - 4 -be of int eres t to compare performance between s upplements at periodic intervals during the experiment. Accumulative average gains with the percentage of the corn supplement at each weigh period are shown in table 3. Table 3. Accumulative Average Gain by Weigh Periods as A ffected by Protein Suppl ementation and Type of Diet TlJ:!e of SUEElement Corn SBOM Urea All-concentrate diets 28 dalS Avg. gain to date 74 95 88 % of corn 129 118 56 days Avg. gain to date 167 172 169 % of corn 103 101 84 dais Avg. gain to date 239 248 226 % o f  corn 104 95 98 dal:S Avg. gain to date 263 274 254 % of corn 104 97 Diets with 4 lb . alfalfa hay la� 28 dalS Avg. gain to date 95 106 97 % of corn 112 103 56 days Avg . gain to date 185 198 175 % of corn 107 94 84 days Avg. gain to date 277 291 249 % o f  corn 105 90 98 days Avg. gain to date 309 325 302 % of corn 105 98 There was an imp rovement in weigh t  gain from pro tein supplementation during the firs t 4 week s of the experiment. The improvement was greater for s oybean meal than for urea and gr eater with the all-concent rate diet than with 4 lb. of alfalfa haylage. After this time the re was no advantage for protein supplementation on basis of weigh t  gain for eithe r the all-concent rate or haylage die ts. A fter the firs t month , steers fed the urea supplement gained slightly less than those fed the corn supplement excep t during the las t 2 week s of the experiment. This is probably a reflec tion of the slightly lowe r feed consumption by the urea group. The small advantage after 98 days in feed eff iciency for s teers fed the protein supplements res ulted from an improvement during the first month when weight gains 27 - 5 -were higher. After this time there was no advantage of protein supplementation on basis of feed efficiency for either the all-concentrate or haylage diets. A comparison between the all-concentrate diets and those with alfalfa haylage by weight periods is shown in table 4. In general, the response to hay­lage was similar during the course of the experiment with each supplement. This would appear to be an effect from the haylage other than its protein contribution since the response was similar with and without supplemental protein. Table 4. Accumulative Average Gain by Weigh Periods as Affected by Amount of Roughage and Protein Supplementation All 4 lb. Percent concentrate haylage all (Avg. gain to date) concentrate Corn 28 days 74 95 128 56 167 1 85 1 1 1  84 239 277 1 16 98 263 309 1 17 SBOM 28 days 95 106 1 12 56 17 2 198 1 15 84 248 291 1 17 98 274 325 1 19 Urea 28 days 8 8  97 1 10 56 169 175 104 84 226 249 1 10 98 254 302 1 19 Summary One hundred forty-four steers averaging about 775 lb. (filled weight basis) were fed an all-concentrate diet or one with 4 lb. of alfalfa haylage. Recon­stituted high-moisture corn was the grain source. Each diet was fea with 2 lb. per head daily of a corn supplement, a 32% protein supplement with soybean meal or a 32% protein supplement with urea. Protein content of the corn grain on a moisture-free basis was about 10. 4%. The experiment is in progress, but results have been summarized after 98 days. Both sources of supplemental protein resulted in an improvement in weight gain during the first 4 weeks of the experiment. There was more improvement from soybean meal than from urea and more with al l-concentrate diets than with those 'Which contained 4 lb. of alfalfa haylage. After the initial 4 weeks and 2 8  - 6 -cattle weights averaging ab out 850 lb . ,  there was no advantage of protein supple­mentation with ei ther die t .  Those fed urea generally gained at a slightly lowe r rate than those fed no supplemental pro tein after the first 4 weeks . S teers fed diets with 4 lb . of alfalfa haylage gained about 18% fas ter than those fed all-concentrate diets . 1he response to haylage was similar for all supp lements and at various times during the expe riment . Corn consump tion was slight ly higher wi th hay lag e .  While total feed requirements pe r 100 lb . of gain were higher wi th haylag e ,  there was a reduction in requirements for concentrates (corn plus supp lement) . On the basis as fed , 100 lb . of the haylage reduced concentrates required per 100 lb . of gain by 77 pounds . The effect of alfalfa haylage appeared to result from factors other than the additional protein con­tributed s ince the response was similar for diets with and without s upplemental protein . Protein content o f  the dry diets without al falfa haylage (about 10 . 4%) is lower than recommended (11. 1%, National Res earch C ounc il) for cattle o f  the weights in this experiment . 2 9  

Protein Supplementation for Finishing Cattle Fed All-Concentrate or Low Roughage (Alfalfa) Diets

https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=sd_cattlefeed_1974

Protein Supplementation for Finishing Cattle Fed All-Concentrate or Low Roughage (Alfalfa) Diets

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange