Replacement of Grazed Forage with WDGS and Poor Quality Hay Mixtures

Authors

Sandra Villasanti, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
L. Aaron Stalker, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Terry Klopfenstein Klopfenstein, Universitiy of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Walter H. Schacht, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Jerry D. Volesky, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

2011

Comments

Published in 2011 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report. Published by the Agricultural Research Division, University of Nebraska Extension, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Copyright © 2011 The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska.

Abstract

A grazing study was conducted at the Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory, Whitman, Neb., to evaluate the effects of mixtures of wet distillers grains (WDGS) and straw or hay on grazed forage intake. There was no difference in ADG between the control and 70% hay/30% WDGS; however, steers supplemented with 60:40 blends of straw or hay with WDGS had higher ADG than the other two treatments. Range forage intake was decreased by 44% to 54% when steers were supplemented with the mixes. Feeding a mixture of WDGS and low-quality harvested-forage to cattle grazing rangeland may allow increasing stocking rate without decreasing animal performance.