Intake and Digestibility of Winter-Range Forage by Cattle with and without Supplements

Abstract

MEASUREMENTS of the intake and digestibility of forage consumed by cattle grazing mixed prairie range during the winter are lacking. Supplements supplying varying amounts of protein and energy are commonly fed to cattle grazing mixed prairie range during the winter. Performance studies with growing calves conducted at the U.S.D.A. Fort Robinson Beef Cattle Research Station at Crawford and the University of Nebraska North Platte Station at North Platte (Clanton and Zimmerman, 1970) showed that weanling calves responded to increased levels of supplemental protein, but did not perform as well as might have been expected when fed high amounts of supplemental energy. These supplements could have influenced the amount of energy derived from the forage by altering intake and/or digestibility of the forage dry matter. The objectives of this study were to (1) estimate the intake and digestibility of winterrange forage, and (2) determine the influence of supplemental protein and/or energy on intake and digestibility of winter-range forage consumed by grazing cattle.