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Beef Cattle reponse to a Feed Intake Stimulant Given Alone and in Combination with a Propionate Enhancer and an Anabolic Agent

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705 and and University of Pennsylvania, Kennett Square, PA 19348

Abstract

Cattle responses to the chemical feed intake stimulant elfazepam³ (7-chloro-l-[2-(ethylsul-fonyl)ethyl] -5-(2-fluorophenyl)-l,3-dihydro-2H-l,4-benzodiazepin-2-one) were investigated in three experiments. In experiment 1, 24 beef steers were fed for 117 days a 90% ground orchard-grass hay diet to which 0, 5,1.0or2.0ppm of elfasepam was added. Animal responses to the three levels of elfazepam were similar; average daily gain, dry feed intake and feed/gain ratio were .41, 8.2 and 20.7 kg, respectively, for the control steers and .52, 8.8 and 17.3 kg for the treated steers.

In experiment 2, eight cattle with rumen fistulas were fed the orchardgrass hay diet containing 0 and 1.0 ppm elfazepam for 28-day periods in a simple change-over design. There were no differences (P>.10) in daily dry feed intake (9.7 vs 10.1 kg), in weight of ruminal contents (12.5 vs 12.8% of body weight) or in total volatile fatty acid concentration in ruminal fluid (79.0 vs 85.4 µM/ml) between the control and treated cattle, respectively.

In experiment 3, 32 steers were fed for 98 days a medium-quality ground alfalfa-grass hay diet. The chemical treatments tested were 1.0 ppm elfazepam and 30 ppm monensin sodium³ added to the feed and Synovex S³ implantation in a completely balanced factorial design. Gain was increased by elfazepam and the implant (P<.05), feed intake was decreased by monensin (P<.01) and increased by elfazepam (P<.05), and feed/gain ratio was improved by the implant (P<.001). At slaughter the steers weighed 433 kilograms. Steers fed monensin had a lower (P<.01) dressing percentage and steers implanted had a lower (P<.05) carcass grade than those not so treated.

¹ Ruminant Nutrition Laboratory, Nutrition Institute, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD 20705.

² School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, New Bolton Center, Kennett Square, PA 19348.