
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Morris, JG 
A1  - Pepper, Patricia M 
A1  - Gartner, RJW 
T1  - Intensive finishing of steers on rations containing high levels of either wheat, barley, or sorghum grain.  Effect of level of roughage and sodium chloride
JF  - Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture
JO  - Aust. J. Exp. Agric.
Y1  - 1969
VL  - 9
IS  - 36
SP  - 57
EP  - 62
KW  - 
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1071/EA9690056 
N2  - The effects of type of grain (wheat, barley, or sorghum), level of roughage (0, 1, and 2 kg of oaten chaff/head/day) and sodium chloride free choice on the performance of steers of a mean (¦ S.E.) body weight of 241 ¦ 2 kg fed in yards for a mean period of 133 ¦ 4 days were examined in a factorial experiment. The type of grain, the level of chaff offered to the steers, or the provision of sodium chloride had no significant effect on daily body weight gain (1.08 ¦ 0.03 kg) or efficiency of conversion of feed dry matter (D.M.) to body weight or carcase weight gain (6.5 and 9.7 kg feed D.M./kg gain respectively). Steers fed wheat had a significantly (P<0.01) lower daily D.M. intake than those fed either barley or sorghum grain. The incidence of persistent laminitis, the death of a steer fed barley and the greater number of steers fed wheat not attaining slaughter weight of 385 kg by 180 days indicated that sorghum was probably a 'safer' grain to feed in high-grain rations than either wheat or barley. The level of oaten chaff offered to the steers did not appear to affect the incidence of digestive disturbances. Carcase weight gain represented a mean of 66.8 ¦ 0.7 per cent of the body weight gain during finishing. 
ER  -

