Animal Science, Department of
Date of this Version
1982
Citation
MP43. Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Abstract
A four-phase maximum forage system was evaluated in two trials over a two-year period. The fot:,r phases included: 1) cornstalk grazing (56 days), 2) stalklage feeding (121 days), 3) pasture grazing (112 days), and 4) finishing (96 days). In phase 1, weanling heifers gained about 1 lb per day grazing cornstalks, when supplemented with 2 lb of a 32 percent natural protein supplement. Adding monensin to the supplement resulted in an increase of. l lb in average daily gain (ADG). In phase 2, when heifers were fed stalklage twice weekly on winter pasture (trial 1), ADG and feed intake of stalklage were .10 lb and 5.5 lb, respectively. When heifers were bunk fed stalklage in drylot daily (trial 2), ADG was .4 lb and stalklage intake was 10.3 lb. In phase 3, heifers grazing summer pasture gained 1.6 lb. Monensin did not affect ADG but it did reduce daily block intake (P<.OO1) from 1.6 lb to .95 lb. In phase 4, heifers were finished on a corn-corn silage ration and they gained 2.7 lb daily on 21.4 lb dry matter intake. Monensin tended to decrease feed intake and improve feed efficiency in the finishing phase. With this system the heifers graded 65% choice with an average yield grade of 2.7. This system uses less than half the corn of a system in which corn is fed nt 1 % of body weight daily and corn silage is fed ad libitum (Table 5), but an additional 115 days are required.
Included in
Large or Food Animal and Equine Medicine Commons, Meat Science Commons, Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Epidemiology, and Public Health Commons
Comments
Used by permission.