Two 28-day receiving experiments were
conducted using 620 exotic × British cross
steers to evaluate differences in growth performance,
morbidity, and mortality when fed diets
containing dry-rolled corn, distiller’s dried grains
with solubles, or wheat middlings. All diets
contained approximately 60% concentrate and
40% roughage (alfalfa hay). Gain and efficiency
tended to be poorer for cattle fed the wheat
middling-based diet than for those fed corn. No
notable differences were evident in terms of the
percentage of cattle treated for respiratory
disease. Feed intake and daily gain were improved
slightly when corn was replaced by
distiller’s dried grains, but efficiency was not
changed. However, the incidence of respiratory
disease also was higher for cattle fed the distiller’s
grains diet in comparison to corn.
