The Effect on Fattening Steers of Supplementing Silage With Dried Grass or Rolled Barley

Abstract

Eighteen crossbred Aberdeen-Angus and six Shorthorn steers with an average liveweight of 382 kg were given sUage (DM content 22-3%) ad lib., supplemented with 0, 1-2, 2-4 and 3-6 kg artificially dried grass, or 1-8 1^ rolled barley, per day. A digestibility study carried out on the silage and dried grass showed that the concentration of the metabolizable energy was 52-7 and 45-6 kcaI/100 kcal of food, respectively. Liveweight gain increased with each level of supplementation. Supplementation did not significantly affect the intake of silage DM, but differences in the intake of total DM were significant. The killihg-out percentages of the steers were similar. The results suggest that dried grass pellets may be a usefid supplement for a silage diet. It was shown that 1-12 kg of dried grass was equivalent to 1-80 kg rolled barley as a supplement for silage.

The effect on young beef cattle of supplementing hay with dried grass or concentrates

“…In the present experiment the liveweight gains obtained on all treatments were satisfactory and were similar to those reported by McCullough (1972) for heavier steers given a silage diet supplemented with dried grass or rolled barley even though the digestibility of the hay was relatively low ( Table 1). The liveweight gain did not appear to be overestimated to any appreciable extent at the higher levels of supplementation as the losses in gut fill due to fasting were not significant ( Table 3).…”

“…This would indicate that the higher than expected nutritive value of dried grass was possibly due to the better associative effect between the hay and dried grass than between the hay and concentrates. A similar effect has also been suggested by McCullough (1972) when silage was supplemented with dried grass or rolled barley.…”

“…However, the similar liveweight gain may have resulted from the greater DM intake, amounting to 85-5 g DM/kg W"'" on the hay only diet, as compared with lower values for silage only diets reported by Powell (1973). The voluntary intake of silage by ruminants was not affected to any appreciable extent or was increased by supplementing with dried grass (McCullough, 1972;Tayler and Aston, 1973) while in the present experiment there was a decrease in hay intake as a result of supplementation. The total daily DM intake was, however, increased with each successive increase in the level of dried grass or concentrates.…”

The performance of early-weaned calves offered concentrates or artificially dried grasses

“…If dried grass is to be used for rearing autumn-born calves for 18-month beef, its purchase price must be less than 70 % of the purchase price of concentrate. However Wilkins (1970) and McCullough (1972) have found dried grass to be more competitive with concentrate when offered as a supplement to a basal silage diet. Therefore in evaluating dried grass for calf feeding, associated feeds will have to be taken into account.…”