Finishing beef steers (615 head) were
used in a 152-day experiment to evaluate the
effects of feeding 80:0, 60:30 or 30:60 ratios
(dry basis) of steam-flaked corn and wet corn
gluten feed (WCGF, 30WCGF, 60WCGF)
on acid-resistant E. coli and coliforms. On
days 114 to 118 ruminal and fecal samples
were collected from 180 steers and analyzed
for pH, VFA, and total and acid-resistant
Escherichia coli (E. coli) and coliforms.
Ruminal (P=0.13) and fecal (P=0.10) VFA
tended to decrease linearly as CGF
increased. Consequently, there was a corresponding
numerical linear increase in
ruminal pH and a significant linear increase
in fecal pH (P<0.05). Total and acid-resistant
E. coli and coliforms, however, were not
affected (P>0.10) by dietary treatment.
