Agricultural Research Division of IANR
Date of this Version
1998
Abstract
Light-test weight corn (59.2 to 61.5 kg/hL; 46 to 48 lb/bu) was compared to normal corn (72 kg/hL; 56 lb/bu) in growing and finishing diets for largeframe crossbred steer calves in 2 consecutive yr. The source of the calves was the same each year as was the diet composition. Growing diet dry matter included 32.9% corn silage, 22.3% alfalfa haylage, 37% dry rolled corn, and 7.8% protein supplement. Finishing diet dry matter included 9.2% corn silage, 86.2% dry rolled corn, and 4.6% protein supplement. Rumensin was included in both diets and steers were implanted with Synovex Sâ at the start of the growing and finishing periods. Using pens of 11 or 12 steers, there were six pens in yr 1 and four pens in yr 2 on each treatment. Growing periods for the 2 yr were 71 and 105 d followed by finishing periods of 182 and 135 d, respectively. Daily gains and feed efficiencies were similar for normal and light-test weights during the growing and finishing periods over both years. Corn protein and moisture averages were slightly higher for the light-test weight corn. Carcass measurements were similar. In these growing-finishing trials with steers, the results did not show any reason for decreasing the net energy values for the light-test weight corn in this study from those assumed for normal corn.
Comments
Published in The Professional Animal Scientist No. 14, pp. 114-117. Used by permission.