Using Beet Pulp to Adapt Cattle to Finishing Diets

Authors

• Cody J. Schneider, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Matt K. Luebbe, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• Karla H. Jenkins Jenkins, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• Stephanie A. Furman, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• Galen E. Erickson, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• Terry J. Klopfenstein, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

2012

Comments

Published in 2012 Beef Cattle Report (2012) p. 96-97. Copyright © 2012 The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska.

Abstract

Cattle were adapted to a common finishing diet over 21 days by traditional adaption, reducing alfalfa hay inclusion (46 to 6%) or beet pulp (BP) adaption programs. A low beet pulp treatment (BP decreased from 18 to 6% and alfalfa hay from 34 to 6%) and a high BP treatment in which both BP and alfalfa hay were decreased from 26 to 6% were compared. Adapting cattle with high BP tended to decrease DMI during the adaption period. Both BP adaption programs increased ADG over the entire feeding period. Replacing up to 50% of alfalfa hay with BP during grain adaption had no impact on F:G or carcass traits and increased ADG.