Effects of pre-shipping management on measures of stress and performance of beef steers during feedlot receiving

¹ University of Florida – IFAS, Range Cattle Research and Education Center, Ona, 33865-9706
² USDA-ARS Subtropical Agricultural Research Station, Brooksville, FL 34601-4672

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jarth{at}ufl.edu.

	Abstract

Over 2 yr, a total of 96 steers (approximately 7 mo of age) were allocated to 1 of 4 weaning management strategies: 1) control: weaned on the day of shipping; 2) creep-fed: allowed free-choice access to concentrate before weaning and shipping; 3) pre-weaned: weaned and provided supplemental concentrate on pasture before shipping; and 4) early-weaned: weaned at 70 to 90 d of age and kept on pasture. On the day of shipping steers were loaded together onto a commercial livestock trailer and transported 1,600 km over 24 h before being received into the feedlot. At the feedlot, steers were penned by treatment (4 pens/treatment) and provided access to free-choice hay and concentrate in separate feeding spaces. Samples of blood were collected on d 0, 1, 4, 8, 15, 22, and 29 relative to shipping. Steer performance was assessed over the receiving period, including DMI of hay and concentrate, ADG, and G:F. Pre-determined contrasts included: control vs. early-weaned, creep-fed vs. pre-weaned, and control vs. creep-fed and pre-weaned. Overall ADG was greater (P < 0.01) for early-weaned vs. control steers (1.39 vs. 0.88 kg). In wk 1, early-weaned steers consumed more concentrate and less hay compared to control steers (P < 0.03) and pre-weaned steers consumed more concentrate (P < 0.01), but a similar amount of hay (P = 0.75) compared to creep-fed steers. Average DMI was greater for pre-weaned compared to creep-fed steers (2.84 vs. 2.50% BW; P = 0.01) and tended to be greater for early-weaned compared to control steers (2.76 vs. 2.50% BW; P = 0.06). Feed efficiency of early-weaned steers was greater than control (G:F = 0.17 vs. 0.12; P < 0.01), but similar for pre-weaned compared to creep-fed steers (P = 0.72). Plasma ceruloplasmin concentrations were less (P < 0.05) in control vs. early-weaned steers on d 0, but increased sharply after shipping and were greater in control vs. early-weaned steers on d 15 and 22 (P < 0.05). Creep-fed steers also experienced greater (P < 0.05) plasma ceruloplasmin concentrations than pre-weaned steers on d 29. These data suggest that early-weaned steers have improved performance in the feedlot compared to steers weaned directly before transport and feedlot entry. Differences in pre-shipping management appear to significantly impact measures of the acute phase protein response in steers.

Key Words: acute phase protein, preconditioning, steers, stress, transportation, weaning

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