PSVIII-24 Evaluating supplementation programs for growing calves grazing bermudagrass pastures

Abstract

Abstract Operational time constraints limit producer’s ability to manage supplement delivery, thus we aimed to determine gain response to self-fed (SF) or hand-fed (HF) summer supplementation programs at the University of Arkansas Livestock and Forestry Research Station on 20, 0.81-ha common bermudagrass pastures stocked with 5 growing calves per pasture (BW ± SD = 247 ± 24.6). This research was a 2 × 2 + 1 factorial arrangement of treatments, including: Control (CON) – only free choice mineral; HF 1.13 kg/d corn gluten feed/soybean hull supplement offered all summer (AS) or only late summer (LS); SF tub supplement (PVM Cattle Tub, Positive Feed Ltd., Sealy, TX) either AS or LS. Supplement costs (US dollars) were $0.82/kg for SF and $0.23/kg for HF supplements. Consumption of SFAS was 0.44 kg/day in the early summer, while late summer intakes were 0.25 and 0.38 kg/d for SFLS and SFAS, respectively. In early summer HF increased (P < 0.01) ADG compared with CON and SFAS. During the late summer, HF increased ADG compared with CON (P ≤ 0.05) and HFAS tended (P = 0.08) to have greater ADG than both SFAS and SFLS. Added gain:supplement in the early summer did not differ (P = 0.38), 0.17 for SFAS and 0.31 for HFAS. Late summer gain:supplement did not differ (P = 0.56) averaging 0.58, 0.23, 0.17, and 0.23 for SFLS, SFAS, HFLS, HFAS. Cost of added gains in LS were SFLS and HFLS at $1.45 and $1.36/kg, respectively. Providing supplements AS resulted in $4.38 and $0.84/kg cost of added gain for SFAS and HFAS. Providing HF supplements all summer is a cost effective way to increase gains of growing calves grazing bermudagrass, providing supplements only during the late summer may be cost effective for both SF and HF supplements depending on economic conditions.