Comparison of the effects of dry rolling, temper rolling, and steam flaking barley grain on dry matter intake, growth, and carcass characteristics of finishing beef steers

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective The objective of this study was to compare performance of finishing steers fed dry-rolled, temper-rolled, or steam-flaked barley grain when processed to yield a coarse or medium flake. Materials and Methods A total of 420 steers (initial BW ± SD; 375 ± 26 kg), blocked by BW, were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments (15 steers per pen) in a 111-d finishing study. Steers were transitioned to a finishing diet containing (1) dry-rolled barley (DR; 522.1 g/L); (2) temper-rolled barley (TR; 539.7 g/L); or (3) steam-flaked barley at a moderate (MF; 361.0 g/L) or (4) coarse flake density (CF; 450.3 g/L). Dry matter intake, ADG, starch digestibility, fecal starch, and carcass data were collected. Results and Discussion Feeding MF (10.8 kg/d) and CF (11.6 kg/d) decreased DMI relative to DR (12.7 kg/d) and TR (12.7 kg/d). Steers fed MF had lesser ADG (2.16 kg/d; P = 0.009) relative to DR (2.34 kg/d) and TR (2.30 kg/d), whereas CF (2.28 kg/d) was intermediate but not different. The G:F was greater for MF (0.201 kg/kg; P Implications and Applications Steam flaking barley grain may increase feed efficiency by reducing DMI and increasing starch digestibility, but reducing flaking density may negatively affect ADG.