Steven C. Loerch1
The Ohio State University Department of Animal Sciences
Abstract
Corn grain, soybean hulls, and wheat middlings are inexpensive feeds available as energy supplements for cattle fed low quality hay. One hundred sixty crossbred steer calves (initial weight, 600 lb) were used in a 2 X 2 factorial (plus control) experiment. The objectives were to determine effects of feeding two carbohydrate types (fiber versus starch) and two supplemental protein sources (soybean meal versus urea) on the performance of growing cattle fed low quality grass hay. Cattle fed chopped hay diets supplemented at 35% of the diet with a combination of wheat midds and soyhulls, benefited from protein supplementation. Cattle fed supplements containing soybean meal grew 6.6% faster and were more efficient than those fed supplements containing urea. Supplements based on corn grain and the midds/soyhull combination resulted in similar daily gains suggesting they have equal "effective" energy value when fed with a forage based diet.