A UF/IFAS study looks at the possibility of decreasing the frequency of concentrate supplementation for beef calves.
Reducing the cost of inputs is one way to boost the bottom line of any beef operation. A UF/IFAS blog shared the results of research into reducing the frequency of concentrate supplementation for beef calves from a daily frequency to three times a week. According to the blog, “Early weaned beef calves have a relatively small rumen capacity, limiting forage intake. Therefore, early weaned calves must rely heavily on concentrate supplementation to meet their requirements.” The study looked at whether “reducing the frequency of concentrate supplementation from daily to 3 times weekly would not impact growth performance and average weekly forage intake of early weaned beef calves consuming ryegrass.” See the results below.
Decreasing the Frequency of Concentrate Supplementation
The study evaluated “the growth performance during a grazing period (Experiment 1) and forage intake and apparent in vivo digestibility (Experiment 2) of early weaned beef calves consuming ryegrass and supplemented with concentrate either daily or 3 times weekly (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays).”
The study used treatments of concentrate supplementation “of similar weekly concentrate amount (1% of body weight × 7 days), which was divided in equal amounts and then offered daily (7X) or 3 times weekly (3X) to early weaned beef calves consuming ryegrass pastures for 84 days (Jan to March; Experiment 1) and ryegrass hay in drylot for 20 days (mid- to late-March; Experiment 2).”
The results showed that “In experiment 1, reducing the frequency of concentrate supplementation from January to March did not impact (P ≥ 0.23) herbage mass and nutritional composition of ryegrass pastures, and had no impact on calf average daily gain from January to March (1.54 vs. 1.61 lb/day for 3X and 7X calves, respectively) and their plasma concentrations of glucose and urea N (important indicators of energy and protein metabolism). In experiment 2, total dry matter intake (forage + concentrate) did not differ between treatments. However, overall forage dry matter intake decreased by 15% (1.51 vs. 1.78% of body weight; P = 0.002) and in vivo apparent digestibility decreased by 1.2% (85.3 vs. 86.5%; P = 0.007) when calves were supplemented 3 times weekly compared to daily supplementation.”
The conclusion of the research was that “despite the slight reduction in in vivo apparent digestibility and overall forage intake, reducing the frequency of concentrate supplementation from daily to 3 times weekly did not impact growth of early weaned beef calves consuming ryegrass, and can successfully be implemented to reduce feeding costs.” Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture. For questions -or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.
