Abstract
A finishing trial was conducted using 637 heifers (initially 849 lb) to determine the optimal amount of wet sorghum distiller's grains with solubles (WDGS) in finishing diets containing steam-flaked corn. Dietary treatments consisted of six concentrations of WDGS (0, 8, 16, 24, 32, and 40%; dry basis). Heifers were placed into dirt-surfaced feedlot pens (25 to 30 heifers/pen; 4 pens/treatment) and fed for 58 days. Daily gain responded in a quadratic manner (P<0.01), peaking with 8% WDGS in the finishing diet. Average daily gains during the 58-day finishing period were 2.79, 3.11, 3.05, 2.89, 2.70, and 2.55 lb/day for cattle fed 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, and 40% WDGS, respectively. Dry matter intake decreased linearly (P<0.01) as content of WDGS increased. Feed efficiency was optimized with 16% WDGS (6.81, 6.49, 6.19, 6.64, 6.96, and 7.18 lb dry feed per lb gain for cattle fed 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, and 40% WDGS, respectively). Animal performance data were used to compute net energy gain (NEg) values of each diet, yielding estimates of 69.9, 71.7, 75.8, 71.2, 68.9, and 67.6 Mcal/cwt for diets containing 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, and 40% WDGS, respectively (quadratic effect, P<0.03). Ribeye area decreased linearly (P<0.02) as concentration of WDGS increased in the diet. The percentage of USDA Yield Grade 1 carcasses decreased linearly (P<0.05), and the percentage of USDA Yield Grade 3 carcasses increased linearly (P=0.05) as the content of WDGS was increased. Average USDA Yield Grade increased linearly (P<0.02) as content of WDGS was increased. Grid-based carcass values were not significantly different across dietary treatments. Regression analysis of efficiency data indicates that the optimum amount of sorghum WDGS in steam-flaked corn diets is approximately 15%. Diets containing as much as 24% WDGS yielded efficiencies equal or superior to diets containing no WDGS.
Highlights
Continued expansion of the fuel ethanol industry will increase availability of distillery byproducts, which are well suited for use as animal feed
Dietary treatments consisted of six concentrations of WDGS (0, 8, 16, 24, 32, and 40%; dry basis)
Gain responded in a quadratic manner (P
Summary
A finishing trial was conducted using 637 heifers (initially 849 lb) to determine the optimal amount of wet sorghum distiller's grains with solubles (WDGS) in finishing diets containing steam-flaked corn. Average daily gains during the 58-day finishing period were 2.79, 3.11, 3.05, 2.89, 2.70, and 2.55 lb/day for cattle fed 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, and 40% WDGS, respectively. Dry matter intake decreased linearly (P
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