Intake and Digestibility of Bahiagrass Hay by Cattle that are Supplemented with Molasses or Molasses-Urea with or without Soybean Hulls11This research was a collaborative effort between the USDA, ARS, STARS and the Florida Agric. Exp. Sta.22Mention of a proprietary product does not constitute a guarantee of warranty of the product by USDA, University of Florida, or the authors and does not imply its approval to the exclusion of other products that may be also suitable

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of molasses or molasses-urea supplementation with or without soybean hulls on digestibility, intake, and animal performance in cattle fed bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge) hay. In Experiment 1, 6 Holstein steers (average BW 256 ± 15 kg) were fed 1 of 6 treatment diets: 1) bahiagrass hay only; 2) hay plus molasses; 3) hay plus molasses-urea; 4) hay plus soybean hulls; 5) hay plus soybean hulls and molasses; and 6) hay plus soybean hulls and molasses-urea. Molasses were fed at 0.59% ofBW (DM basis), soybean hulls at 0.75%, and urea at 4.5% of the weight of the molasses. Dry matter intake and apparent digestibility were measured in an incomplete Latin square design with a 28-d recovery period between each period. Digestibility of dietary DM, OM, and ADF was increased with soybean hulls (P 0.10) by soybean hulls. Urea added to molasses increased nonesterified fatty acids (P 0.10) by treatments. Blood glucose was increased (P