Abstract

A 101-day growing study was conducted to evaluate the growth performance of beef heifers fed wheat middlings in traditional full- fed, sorghum silage-based rations and in limit-fed, high-concentrate rations. Diets were formulated without wheat middlings or with wheat middlings replacing 33, 67, or 100% of rolled corn plus soybean meal. Daily gains decreased linearly (P<.01) with increasing levels of wheat middlings in the roughage-based diets because of lower feed intake (P<.10), but feed efficiency was not affected (P>.30). For the limit-fed diets, heifer daily gains decreased linearly (P<.01) as the proportion of wheat middlings in the diet increased, resulting in a linear reduction (P<.01) in feed efficiency. Wheat middlings can be utilized effectively as the predominant energy/protein source for growing cattle, though their nutritional and economic value, relative to corn and soybean meal, may be different for roughage-based and limit-fed diets.

Keywords: Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station contribution, no. 97-309-S, Report of progress (Kansas State University. Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service), 804, Cattlemen's Day, 1998, Beef, Wheat middlings, Growing calves, Limit feeding, Sorghum silage

How to Cite:

Kuhl, G. L., Wessels, R., Blasi, D. A. & Drouillard, J. S., (1998) “Wheat middlings in roughage-based or limit-fed, high-concentrate diets for growing calves”, Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports 1(1), 56-59. doi: https://doi.org/10.4148/2378-5977.1902