Masters Theses

Date of Award

12-1973

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Animal Husbandry

Major Professor

C.C. Chamberlain

Committee Members

J.A. Corrick, J.B. McLaren

Abstract

There are two major objectives in this study: (1) to compare a natural protein source, cottonseed meal, with urea, and (2) to determine the effect of adding limited quantities of hay to a high concentrate finishing ration. Both heifers and steers were used so a sex comparison was also made.

One hundred and seventy medium grade heifers were involved in a three-year study at the Greeneville Tobacco Experiment Station. The heifers were pregnancy checked, implanted with DBS, weighed, and alloted. There were two general phases of feeding each year. During the first phase, the heifers were given corn silage ad libitum with five pounds of ground ear corn and one pound of protein supplement for an average of 112 days. Following the high silage phase was a concentrate phase, during which each heifer consumed a maximum amount of ground ear corn and either one pound of urea supplement or 1.25 pounds of cottonseed meal (1967, 1 pound of cottonseed meal). The concentrate phases lasted an average of 58 days.

The heifers receiving cottonseed meal as a protein source gained significantly faster than the heifers receiving a high urea supplement during the first 28 days of the forage phases (P ≤ .05). However, when both the total forage and concentrate feeing periods were considered, no differences between urea and cottonseed meal were observed. The ADG obtained in the total forage and total concentrate feeding periods were higher for the cottonseed meal supplement but these differences were not significant (P ≤ .05). Heifers receiving hay gained significantly faster than heifers receiving no hay during the first 28 days of the forage and concentrate phases (P ≤ .05).

One hundred and sixty medium to good grade steers were utilized in the study. The steers were weighed, implanted with DES, and lotted to treatments. The feeding period consisted of only a concentrate phase for the steers which averaged 92 days. The feeding program was the same as for the heifers in the concentrate phase.

The steers receiving cottonseed meal gained significantly faster during the initial 28 days feeding and during the entire 92 days than the steers receiving urea (P ≤ .05). Steers receiving hay gained at a significantly faster rate than the steers receiving no hay during the total concentrate phase (P ≤ .001).

When both the heifers and steers were marketed at similar visual condition grades, the final weight for the heifers was from 150 to 200 pounds less than the steers. The ADG of the steers for the feeding period was also slightly higher than for the heifers.

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