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Effect of Anthelmintic Treatment on Feedlot Performance of Growing and Finishing Heifers

Coastal Plain Experiment Station, Tifton, Georgia 31794

Abstract

Thirty-six heifer calves and 24 yearling heifers with natural infections of parasitic nematodes were fed to evaluate the effect of levamisole and morantel tartrate on fecal worm egg counts, growth rate, feed efficiency and apparent digestibility of diets. Treatment with either anthelmintic reduced (P< .01) the fecal worm egg counts (EPG) at 7 days after treatment while counts similar to pretreatment values were still present in nonmedicated heifers. The addition of 5% stabilized animal fat to growing diets had no (P> .05) influence on EPG values. Fecal EPG counts for both nonmedicated and medicated heifers were similar at the end of the finishing trials. Growth rate, feed efficiency and apparent digestibility of diets were not different (P> .05) due to anthelmintic treatment. However, heifers receiving either of the medication treatments gained about 4% faster than nonmedicated heifers which resulted in a trend toward improved feed utilization values.

¹ Department of Animal Science, University of Georgia, Coastal Plain Experiment Station, Tifton.

² Georgia-South Carolina Area, SR, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Tifton, Georgia (Stewart) and Experiment, Georgia (Ciordia).