The concentrations of urea, phosphorus, sodium, and other constituents in the blood of steers intensively finished on high-grain rations

Abstract

The concentrations of urea, inorganic phosphorus, haemoglobin, plasma chloride, sodium, and potassium and the packed cell volume were determined on samples of blood from 70 Hereford steers that had been intensively finished on high-grain rations based on either wheat, barley, or sorghum grain. Oaten chaff was used as the roughage and half the steers had free access to sodium chloride. The inorganic phosphorus levels of 6.5 to 7.1 mg/100 m1 of blood were higher than those recorded in grazing cattle and were significantly different for the grain types. Blood urea levels were affected by roughage level, grain types, and access to sodium chloride. Plasma sodium but not chloride was affected by the type of grain and by sodium chloride.