The influence of roughage source, grain feeding, biuret supplementation and lot-feeding on the performance of yearling steers

Abstract

Yearling cattle grazed for 100 days on dry summer pasture, oaten stubble, or standing oaten hay and provided with a supplement of rolled grains and minerals, followed by a 50-day period in a feedlot on an ad libitum ration of rolled mixed grains and minerals, consumed equal quantities of grain (620 to 670 kg) and gained equal amounts of liveweight (112 ± 8 kg) to similar cattle fattened in a feedlot for 100 days, on diets of mixed grain, hay and mineral supplements. Overall, the provision of a non-protein nitrogen supplement, biuret, did not increase liveweight gains significantly, although there was a tendency for greater liveweight gains of animals grazing forage and receiving this supplement.