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Digestibility of Finishing Rations Containing Various Sources and Levels of Roughage by Steers

Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, Crowley, Baton Rouge and U. S. Department of Agriculture, Jeanerette 70803

Abstract

Two metabolism trials were conducted with steers to determine the influence that source and level of roughage have on digestibility of fattening rations. Rations containing 20 or 40% rice straw, 20 or 40% alfalfa hay, 20% rice hulls, 40% dehydrated sudangrass pellets, 20% polyethylene pellets or all-concentrate were compared in trial 1. The roughage source tended to have a greater influence on energy digestibility than roughage level in trial 1. However, increasing the level of rice straw from all-concentrate to 20 or 40% decreased the DE content of the rations from 3,065 to 2,832 to 2,613 kcal per kilogram of dry matter, respectively. The DE content was slightly higher in the 40% alfalfa hay ration than in the 20% alfalfa hay ration (3,244 and 3,154 kcal per kilogram dry matter, respectively) and in both, higher than in the all-concentrate ration. Polyethylene pellets diluted the DE content of the ration but did not influence energy digestibility of the concentrate portion. Rations containing 5 or 20% rice straw, alfalfa hay, rice hulls, 5% oyster shells or all-concentrate were compared in trial 2 where roughage source had no apparent influence on energy digestibility. The DE content of the 20% roughage rations was similar but lower than in the 5%; roughage rations. There was very little difference between the DE content of the 5% roughage and all-concentrate rations. The 5% oyster shell ration contained slightly less DE than the other 5% roughage rations due to dilution by the ash.

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