HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Braman, W. L. Articles by Lewis, J. M. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Braman, W. L. Articles by Lewis, J. M.

Protein Concentration and Sources for Finishing Ruminants Fed High-Concentrate Diets

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,^,2 Urbana 61801

Abstract

Eighty Brangus X; Hereford-Shorthorn steers and 128 crossbred wether lambs were fed high-concentrate diets in feedlot trials to study the effects of dietary protein concentration and supplemental nitrogen sources (urea and soybean meal) on feedlot performance and carcass characteristics. Fifty-six days into the feeding period, steers fed the soybean meal supplements had slightly greater rates of gain and significantly improved (P<0.05) feed efficiencies than steers fed supplemental urea. Composited over the 140-day feeding period, steers fed the soybean meal supplements had more favorable (P<0.01) rates of gain and feed conversions than steers fed the urea supplements. Higher dietary protein concentrations significantly improved (P<0.01) daily gain and feed efficiency for the first 56 days with either supplemental nitrogen source, however, continued response to higher protein concentrations was observed only with steers fed soybean meal supplements. The greatest response to increased dietary protein concentrations was observed early in the finishing period with little advantage to supplemental protein observed in the later phase. Dietary protein concentration had little apparent effect upon carcass parameters.

As noted with steers, lambs fed urea-supplemented diets did not respond in rate of gain to increasing dietary protein concentration, whereas a nonsignificant linear increase in rate of gain was observed with lambs fed the soybean meal supplemented diets. Increasing dietary protein concentration resulted in a significant linear (P<0.05) improvement in feed efficiency.

¹ Present address: Dixon Springs Agricultural Center, Simpson, Ill.

² Department of Animal Science.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. A. Loest, E. C. Titgemeyer, J. S. Drouillard, C. M. Coetzer, R. D. Hunter, D. J. Bindel, and B. D. Lambert Supplemental betaine and peroxide-treated feather meal for finishing cattle J Anim Sci, September 1, 2002; 80(9): 2234 - 2240. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]