title: Limit-feeding corn as an alternative to hay for gestating beef cows.
abstract: Three experiments were conducted to determine the efficacy of limit-feeding corn-based diets as an alternative to hay for beef cows in gestation and early lactation. Seventy or 71 mature, pregnant Simmental crossbred cows (average weight = 589 +/- 10 kg) were used in each trial. Each of 29 or 30 cows was fed approximately 5 kg of whole shelled corn, 1.2 kg of a pelletted supplement, and 1 kg of hay daily from November to April to meet nutritional needs for gestation. The remaining 41 cows were fed first-cutting round-baled hay free choice. Cows with ad libitum hay intake consumed approximately twice as much feed as cows limit-fed the corn-based diet. Body weight change during the winter was not affected (P > .10) by feeding system in Trials 1 and 2. Limit-feeding the corn-based diet had no detrimental effects on subsequent cow performance or conception rate or on calf weaning weight following summer grazing on pasture. The cost to feed a cow hay was nearly double that of limit-feeding corn-based diet. Two additional experiments were conducted to determine the effect of supplemental monensin (200 mg/d) on performance of gestating Simmental-Angus first-calf heifers fed corn-based diets. In Trial 4, monensin-supplemented heifers were fed 10% less corn than control heifers. In Trial 5, both groups were fed equal amounts of feed. No adverse effects of feeding the corn-based diets were observed. It was concluded from these trials that corn-based diets can meet the nutrient requirements of pregnant beef cattle without adverse effects on production and at a lower cost than feeding hay.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Sciences, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center 44691-4096, USA.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Loerch
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000592:standards; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology; D008985:Monensin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D006109:Poaceae; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D013696:Temperature; D003313:Zea mays / Q000592:standards*
chemical_list: D008985:Monensin