Steer Finishing Research Articles

Comparison of Charolais-Crossbred and Angus Yearling Steers Finished on Pasture

Comparison of Charolais-Crossbred and Angus Yearling Steers Finished on Pasture

Use of Poultry Manures in Steer Finishing Rations

Two feeding trials involving 70 and 110 steers, respectively, were carried out. The first was to study the use of different levels of a pure dried broiler excreta as a protein source in a steer rations; the second to compare broiler manure with a wood shavings base, broiler manure with a peanut hulls base and dried layer hen manure as steer ration components. These four manures had a crude protein content on a dry basis of 34.5, 22.5, 24.9 and 40.4%, respectively. When the dried broiler excreta was used to provide either one-half or all of the supplemental protein in a steer finishing ration, weight gains were not different (P>.05) from those obtained with a control ration; however, gains at the higher level tended to be slightly depressed. Steers receiving a ration in which 20% broiler manure/wood shavings and 2.0% cane molasses replaced the 8.0% soybean meal, 12.5% peanut hulls and 1.5% minerals of a control ration performed in every parameter studied, including taste panel evaluations, as well as or better than steers on the control ration. Based on the January, 1974, prices of the feeds which it effectively replaced in the control ration, this manure was calculated to have a worth of $57.52 per metric ton for steer feeding purposes. When used in a similar manner, broiler manure/peanut hulls did not give a comparable performance until additional roughage was provided. When dried caged layer hen manure was used, a lower (P<.05) rate of gain was realized than when broiler manure was fed. Also, steers on a negative control ration containing no protein supplement gained faster (P<.05) than did those receiving supplemental protein in the form of dried hen manure.

Intensive beef production from sorghum grain. The effects of quality of roughage, supplementation with tallow and minerals and level of dietary nitrogen.

SummaryA 23 factorial design was used to examine the following treatments on the finishing of steers fed diets of 90% sorghum grain and 10% roughage: cottonseed hulls v. lucerne as the roughage component; nil v. 3% tallow; free‐choice supplements of (a) sodium chloride, (b) 50/50 mixture of sodium chloride and rock phosphate, and (c) soil; a decrease in the crude protein level of the diet from 14 to 11% after body weight exceeded 350 kg.Nine groups, each of 10 Shorthorn steers aged between 12 and 15 months, of an initial mean shrunk liveweight of 215.8 ± SE 0.35 kg were used. Individual steers were slaughtered either at 390 kg liveweight or after 177 days.The mean growth rate was significantly higher in steers receiving cottonseed hulls than in those fed lucerne (1.27 v. 1.13 kg/day) and was significantly higher in those receiving tallow treatments than in those without tallow (1.28 v. 1.12 kg/day). Steers receiving 14% crude protein throughout showed an increased rate of carcase weight gain of 0.059 kg/day compared with steers receiving 11% from 350 kg body weight. The supplements had no effect on performance.The overall mean carcase weight gain and dressing percentage were 0.68 kg/day and 59.0%, respectively.Feed conversion (dry matter) was lower in steers receiving tallow than in those not receiving tallow (5.3 v. 6.3).Steers fed lucerne exhibited intermittent mild to moderate bloat which did not require treatment.

Comparison of Unground, Ground and Pelleted Peanut Hulls as Roughage Sources in Steer Finishing Diets

Comparison of Unground, Ground and Pelleted Peanut Hulls as Roughage Sources in Steer Finishing Diets

Corn Silage, Urea and Pelleted Coastal Bermudagrass in Steer Finishing Systems

Corn Silage, Urea and Pelleted Coastal Bermudagrass in Steer Finishing Systems

Tapazole in steer finishing rations: nitrogen metabolism.

Tapazole in steer finishing rations: nitrogen metabolism.

Raw Sugar as an Energy Source in Steer Finishing Rations

One hundred steers were used in two fattening trials to determine the value of raw sugar as a partial replacement for corn meal in finishing rations. Rations containing 0, 5, 10, 20 and 40% sucrose-urea mixture were fed ad libitum plus 1.8 kg of hay per head daily. Urea was added to replace the nitrogen contained in the displaced corn meal. All of the sugar-formulated diets appeared to improve weight gains in relation to the basal ration. However, the differences in gain were not significant and there was no detectable trend toward improved gain with increasing sugar level. Inclusion of increasing quantities of sugar-urea mixture resulted in a significant linear improvement in feed utilization and a linear reduction in concentrate intake. Carcass and meat quality measurements were studied with no indication that supplemental raw sugar affects carcass or meat quality. Steers in one trial conducted during the winter gained more efficiently and consumed less concentrate mix than steers fed during the summer. This apparent seasonal effect was uniform over all dietary treatments.

Intensive beef production from sorghum grain and sorghum stubble: Effects of methods of processing the grain and the stubble, vitamins A, E and K and selenium supplementation and anthelmintic treatment on rate and efficiency of body weight gain and carcass composition

SUMMARYThe intensive finishing of steers on simple rations of 10% sorghum stubble and 90% sorghum grain plus urea was investigated. Fine grinding of the grain resulted in a lower mean daily intake, but a significantly greater efficiency of conversion of feed to carcass weight gain (P &lt; 0·01) than coarse grinding the grain. Coarse chaffing of the stubble significantly reduced the intake of the stubble in comparison with hammer milling, but had no significant effect on rate of body weight gain, total feed intake or efficiency of feed conversion.The addition to the ration of either 1 mg of selenium, or 200 mg vitamin E, 200 mg vitamin E and 100 mg vitamin K per day had no significant effect on rate or efficiency of body or carcass weight gain. Seven out of 32 steers which were not injected with 3 million i.u. of vitamin A at the start of the experiment exhibited nyctalopia. None of the 32 steers which received the vitamin A injection had hepatic vitamin A concentrations less than 33 μg/g. Vitamin A injection did not have a significant effect on the rate of body weight gain (mean ±S.E. 1·3 ± 0·03 kg per day), efficiency of feed conversion (10·4 ± 0·16 kg D.M. per kg carcass weight gain), or time to attain slaughter weight (133 ± 3 days). Drenching twice with thiabendazole had no significant effect on rate of body weight gain.

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

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&lt;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.

Finishing steers on high grain rations. The effects of three roughages, and of urea, vitamin A, colbalt and sodium chloride supplements

A 2 x 2 x 3 x 3 split plot design was used to investigate the effects of the following treatments on the finishing of steers : cobalt supplementation-as an intraruminal cobalt oxide pellet; vitamin A supplementation-as an intramuscular injection of 2.5 x l06 i.u. ; additives to the grain-nil, 1 per cent urea, and 1 per cent urea plus 1 per cent sodium chloride ; roughage source-wheaten chaff, sorghum silage, and lucerne chaff. Ten groups each of 10 steers, of a mean (� S.E.) shrunk body-weight of 537�3.4 lb were used. One group was slaughtered before feeding the rations to measure initial carcase weight and composition. Individual steers from the other nine groups were slaughtered at 900 lb body-weight. The mean body weight gain of all steers was 2.64 � 0.05 lb per head per day, for a mean D.M, intake of 15.7 lb grain and 2.5 lb roughage over 135 � 2.2 days. Roughage sources, sodium chloride, cobalt, and the vitamin A supplement had no significant effect on performance. Steers fed lucerne, particularly with urea, exhibited mild to moderate bloating. Carcase weight gain was significantly increased by the addition of urea to the grain. Carcase weight increased from 276 � 2.2 lb in the pre-treatment group to 482 � 1.8 lb in the finished steers. The composition of this increase was 71 per cent commercial cuts of meat, 20 per cent fat trimmings and 9 per cent bone. The mean total hepatic vitamin A reserves of the unsupplemented steers at slaughter was 38 per cent of the initial reserves ; the hepatic level in 20 of these animals was less than 10 �g/g.

Finishing steers on sorghum grain and sorghum silage. Effects of grain-to-roughage ratio, urea supplementation and hexoestrol implantation on rate of body-weight gain, feed efficiency and carcass compositions

1. A study of the suitability of rations of predominately sorghum grain for the intensive finishing of steers is reported. Six groups, each of ten steers, 18 months old and of an average body-weight of 544 lb., were fed, according to a set schedule, increasing quantities of grain in the ration until two groups were each consuming rations containing 80, 90 or 100% grain. One of the two groups, fed each grain-to-roughage ratio, received 60 g. urea per head daily. Individual steers were slaughtered when they attained 900 lb. body-weight. A seventh group of ten comparable steers was slaughtered at the commencement of feeding in order to measure changes in body composition due to the nutritional treatments.