Effects of animal and supplement characteristics on average daily gain of grazing beef cattle.

Abstract

Effects of animal gender and age, use of a growth stimulant, and supplementation with grain alone or grain plus other substances on ADG by growing beef cattle grazing bermudagrass paddocks with sod-seeded rye, wheat, and ryegrass were determined. Two grazing experiments (Exp. 1: late winter through mid-spring; Exp. 2: late spring through mid-summer) were conducted. Experiment 1 used 96, 12- to 13-mo-old Simmental-cross calves (heifers, 240 kg; steers, 272 kg), half of which were implanted with zeranol. Within each implant treatment, cattle received no supplement or .5% BW (DM) of ground corn alone or plus a mix of protein meals, zinc sulfate, thiamin-HCl, or salt. Daily gain was higher (P less than .05) with than without supplementation and was similar (P greater than .10) among supplement treatments. In Exp. 2, 96 crossbred beef steers, approximately 7 (230 kg) or 15 mo old (250 kg), were not supplemented (control) or received .5% BW (DM) of ground corn on d 1 to 84 (C-C), corn plus a protein meal mix on d 1 to 84 (CP-CP), corn on d 43 to 84 (O-C), corn plus the protein meal mix on d 43 to 84 (O-CP), or corn on d 1 to 42 and corn plus the protein meal mix on d 43 to 84 (C-CP). Daily gain on d 1 to 84 was affected (P less than .05) by supplement, age, implant, and the supplement x implant interaction (nonimplanted: .37, .56, .68, .40, .49, and .49; implanted: .37, .62, .54, .49, .70, and .71 kg for control, C-C, CP-CP, O-C, O-CP, and C-CP, respectively).