title: Effect of high-oil corn on growth performance, diet digestibility, and energy content of finishing diets fed to beef cattle.
abstract: Sixty crossbred beef steers (initial BW = 412 kg) were used in a 83-d finishing study to determine the effect of feeding dry rolled high-oil corn on performance and total-tract digestibility of finishing diets. Steers were allotted by weight to the following dietary treatments: 1) control corn (C; 82% normal corn, 12% triticale silage), 2) high-oil corn (HO; 82% high-oil corn, 12% silage), and 3) high-oil corn formulated to be isocaloric to C (ISO; 74% high-oil corn, 20% silage). Total lipid content was 4.9% (DM basis) for normal corn and 7.0% for high-oil corn. Steers were individually fed using electronic gates. Quantity of feed offered and refused was recorded daily. Fecal samples were collected on d 63 to 66 of the trial to determine digestibility. Chromic oxide was fed as an indigestible marker for 7 d before fecal collection began. Planned contrasts of HO vs C and ISO vs C were used to assess treatment differences. Dry matter intake was greater for steers fed C vs HO (P < 0.01) or C vs ISO (P < 0.01), but daily gain and feed efficiency were not affected (P > 0.05) by treatments. Digestibility of DM, OM, starch, and GE was greater (P < 0.05) for the HO diet than the C diet, but lipid digestibility did not differ among treatments (P > 0.05). The combined effect of greater GE content and digestibility resulted in greater (P < 0.01) DE content for the HO than for the C diet. Calculated DE of the corn was 8.3% greater (3.74 Mcal/kg; P < 0.01) for the HO diet and 6.5% greater (3.67 Mcal/kg; P < 0.01) for the ISO diet than the corn in the C diet (3.25 Mcal/kg). Dry matter and GE digestibility did not differ (P > 0.05) between the C and ISO diets. Steers consuming ISO had greater (P < 0.05) starch digestibility than steers fed the C diet. Although HO had higher DE, DE intake was similar (P > 0.05) for HO and C due to lower DMI for HO. These results indicate that available energy is greater from high-oil corn than from typical corn, but depressed voluntary feed intake prevented performance improvements and resulted in equal energy intakes between high-oil corn and typical corn diets.
authors.affiliation: University of Idaho, Moscow 83844, USA.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Andrae
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Hunt
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Duckett
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Kennington
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: F N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Owens
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soderlund
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002417:Cattle / Q000254:growth & development*; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004063:Digestion; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D008297:Male; D003313:Zea mays
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats