Effect of supplements of molasses and urea on intake and digestibility of native pasture hay by steers

Abstract

Ten steers (five Shorthorns and five Brahman crossbreds) were individually housed in digestibility crates and fed low quality native pasture hay (0.47 % N) with the following supplements- 1. nil ; 2. molasses ; 3. urea ; 4. urea-molasses ; 5. urea-molasses. The hay was fed ad libitum except in treatment 5 where it was fed at the same level of roughage intake as in treatment 2. Intake and digestibility were recorded. Treatments 2, 3 and 4 had roughage dry matter intakes 27.8 %, 14.6 % and 65.4 % respectively greater than the hay alone group. There was no significant effect of treatment compared with the control group on the apparent digestibility of dry matter or organic matter, but the apparent digestibility of crude protein was significantly improved by a supplement containing urea. There was no effect of breed on apparent digestibility of dry matter, organic matter or crude protein but Brahman crossbreds consumed 20.0 % more dry matter than Shorthorns after intakes had been corrected for metabolic size.