Optimum roughage proportion in barley-based feedlot cattle diets: growth performance, feeding behavior, and carcass traits.

ABSTRACT: High grain diets are fed to finishing beef cattle to maximize animal performance in a cost-effective manner. However, a small amount of roughage is incorporated in finishing diets to help prevent ruminal acidosis, although few studies have examined optimum roughage inclusion level in barley-based diets. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of roughage proportion in barley-based finishing diets on growth performance, feeding behavior, and carcass traits of feedlot cattle. Crossbred beef steers (n = 160; mean body weight ± SD, 349.7 ± 21.4 kg) were allocated to 20 pens that were assigned randomly to four dietary treatments (five pens of eight steers per treatment). The treatment diets contained barley silage at 0%, 4%, 8%, and 12% of dietary dry matter (DM). The remainder o

SUBMITTER: Koenig KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7603404 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature