Performance of young bulls fed with corn silage or oat hay and dried grain or ensiled corn

Abstract

The aim of this experiment was to study the nutritive value of two roughages and of dry or ensiled corn grain, fed to crossbred Simmental x Nellore cattle, kept on feedlot. A 2 x 2 factorial (two roughages: corn silage or oat hay and two forms of preserved corn grain: dried or ensiled) was used, in a completely randomized design, with fourteen replicates. The diets were fed ad libitum, in two daily meals (8:00 AM and 3:00 PM). The animals were weighed before morning meal every 28 days; they were not fed in the previous afternoon. A period effect and forage x concentrate interaction on cumulative body weight were observed. Regardless of roughage source, wet grain silage produced higher (P < 0.05) daily weight gain (1.23±0.28 kg) when compared to dry ground corn grain (1.14±0.30 kg). No difference was observed among treatments concerning final weight and dressing percentage, but back fat was thicker (P < 0.05) in the animals receiving corn silage as roughage. Regardless of roughage source (corn silage or oat hay), ensiling is the most efficient form of preserving corn grain for feedlot animals.