Investigations on the Feeding of All-Concentrate Rations to Beef Cattle

Thirty-four Hereford calves were used in two experiments to determine the feasibility of feeding all-concentrate rations to beef cattle. In the first experiment which was a growth-performance study, a basal diet containing 1.5% fiber and composed of ground shelled corn, urea, cottonseed oil, minerals and vitamins was compared to a similar diet with sodium and potassium bicarbonate added at a level of 11% of the total ration. This level of cation supplementation proved to be excessive; however, performance on the basal diet (1.89 lb. daily) stimulated a second experiment. In this study which included carcass evaluation as well as growth-performance, the basal diet was supplemented with either 5% sodium and potassium acetate or 2.5 lb. per day of ground or long hay. Performance of calves on the unsupplemented basal ration equaled that of calves fed any of the other three diets. Feed conversion on the basal ration alone was slightly superior to conversion on diets containing acetate salts or hay in either form. The presence of acetate salts in the diet adversely affected growth-performance and produced carcasses with less finish than the other three diets. On the basis of these data, it was concluded that calves are able to perform satisfactorily on all-concentrate rations for extended periods of time if the ration provides essential nutrients in adequate amounts and the buffering capacity of the rumen is adequate. The possible rumen buffering capacity of ammonium ions from urea is discussed. Types and levels of buffering agents in all-concentrate rations for ruminants merit further study.