A comparison was made of different
supplementation strategies for steer calves
wintered on brome hay for 109 days. Treatments
consisted of no supplement, 1.33 lb/head
daily of a 30% protein range cube, a commercially
available free-choice block supplement
containing 40% crude protein (19% as non-protein
nitrogen), and a soy-based block supplement
containing soy solubles and full-fat
soybeans with 40% crude protein (25% as
nonprotein nitrogen). Following the
backgrounding phase, steers were placed onto
finishing rations and fed for an additional 152
days before being slaughtered. Gain during the
growing phase was greater for all supplemented
cattle than for unsupplemented controls. Cattle
fed blocks or no supplement tended to compensate
during the finishing phase, suggesting that
differences in gastrointestinal tract fill may have
impacted body weights at the end of the back grounding
phase. When performance was
evaluated over the entire 261-day trial, cattle
fed blocks were more efficient than controls,
whereas efficiencies of cattle fed range cubes
were essentially equal to those of cattle that
previously received no supplement. Additionally,
soybean solubles and full-fat soybeans
were viable alternatives to traditional ingredients
for manufacturing free-choice block supplements.
