The use of a pelleted ration for fattening beef heifers

Abstract

An experiment previously conducted at this station demonstrated that beef heifers fed a completely pelleted ration made inferior gains, and had significantly lower carcass grades and dressing percentages than heifers fed the same balanced fattening ration in a natural state. However, these heifers consumed materially less of the pelleted ration and converted the feed to flesh as efficiently as the more rapidly gaining control group of heifers. There was definite evidence that the heifers consuming the pelleted ration ruminated less and craved coarse roughage. The experiment reported here was designed to determine if feeding limited quantities of natural roughage would stimulate feed consumption and permit normal rumination and normal gains of heifers fed pelleted rations.