Feeding steers high levels of oats and wheat: effects of substituting one grain for the other

Abstract

Hereford and Shorthorn steers were fed in yards for an initial period of 63 days, (including a 20 day change-over period) during which chaff and either wheat or oat grain were fed ; then for 5 days one grain was gradually substituted for the other; a final period of 64 or 71 days of feeding then followed. Two levels of grain were examined, 60 and 90 per cent, and similar percentages of an equal mixture of both grains were fed unchanged throughout the entire period. No digestive disturbances resulted from the substitution of the grains. In both the initial and final periods the steers receiving 90 per cent wheat had significantly higher liveweight gains than those on oats (1.36 v. 0.72 ¦ SE 0.122 and 1.60 v. 0.84 ¦ 0.079 kg per day). These gains were associated with an intake of wheat significantly higher than that of oats in the final period only (8.13 v. 5.88 ¦. 0.337 kg per day) and a lower (not significant) feed conversion of 5.31 v. 8.47 ¦ 0.671. Results for an equal mixture of both grains were intermediate between those obtained with the single grain diets. There were no differences between treatments at the 60 per cent grain level. The dressing percentage of steers finishing the experiment on wheat (54.5 ¦ 00.4) was significantly higher than of steers finishing on oats (51.9) or on a mixture of the grains (52.4).