Intensive finishing of steers on rations containing high levels of either wheat, barley, or sorghum grain. Effect of level of roughage and sodium chloride

Abstract

The effects of type of grain (wheat, barley, or sorghum), level of roughage (0, 1, and 2 kg of oaten chaff/head/day) and sodium chloride free choice on the performance of steers of a mean (� S.E.) body weight of 241 � 2 kg fed in yards for a mean period of 133 � 4 days were examined in a factorial experiment. The type of grain, the level of chaff offered to the steers, or the provision of sodium chloride had no significant effect on daily body weight gain (1.08 � 0.03 kg) or efficiency of conversion of feed dry matter (D.M.) to body weight or carcase weight gain (6.5 and 9.7 kg feed D.M./kg gain respectively). Steers fed wheat had a significantly (P<0.01) lower daily D.M. intake than those fed either barley or sorghum grain. The incidence of persistent laminitis, the death of a steer fed barley and the greater number of steers fed wheat not attaining slaughter weight of 385 kg by 180 days indicated that sorghum was probably a 'safer' grain to feed in high-grain rations than either wheat or barley. The level of oaten chaff offered to the steers did not appear to affect the incidence of digestive disturbances. Carcase weight gain represented a mean of 66.8 � 0.7 per cent of the body weight gain during finishing.