Transition to Finishing Diet Flashcards
Finishing diets are formulated to…
- Increase growth rate
- Increase feed efficiency
- Increase animal health
- Increase carcass quality
- Decrease cost of gain
Ideal carcass composition
28-29% body fat, BCS of 8
3 Finishing feedlot diets
1) Receiving/starter ration
2) Step up phase
3) Finishing diet
Time it takes to adapt to high grain diets after receiving diets
21-28 days
T or F: Adapting aggressively in 2 weeks causes increased performance
False
Concentrate percentage in final finishing diets
80 - 95%
Common CP content of finishing diets
13.5% of diet DM
Desired ADG
1.2 - 2.0 kg/d
Which takes more energy to de deposited; fat or protein?
Fat
How does depositing fat affect feed efficiency?
Decreases it
T or F: Small frame breeds can be moved from weaning straight to finishing diets
False, promotes low finishing weights, works better with larger framed breeds
Define step-up diets
series of diets containing increasing concentrations of grain over a 3-4 wk period
Objective of step up diets
- Minimize digestive disturbances (acidosis, bloat)
- Allow rumen microbes to adjust to starch in diet
- Increase rumen papillae area
- Minimize feed intake fluctuations
How many days in a step up program
3-7
Why do yearlings step up faster than calves?
Challenge with calves is getting them to eat
What are the common step up concentrate percentages?
30 or 40, then 60, 75, 80, 85, and 90%
Why introduce rumensin at half dose?
Rumensin is not palatable
Restricted intake definition and reason
- Restricted intake of final diet with programmed increases until achieving target intake
- Improves feed efficiency during finishing
Issues during restrict feeding adaptation
- Reduce DMI
- Reduce ADG
Feed bunk management objectives
1) keep animals eating a consistent amount of feed
2) maximize animal performance
3) minimize digestive disorders
2 requirements of bunk management
1) all cattle in the same pen must have equal opportunity to consume feed
2) feed should be delivered at the same time every day to avoid digestive distress
Why should feed be delivered at the same time every day?
If you feed later, cattle come hungrier and consume more feed faster, upsetting digestive tract
What is slick bunk feeding
Temporary short absence of feed, feed intake is regulates but not reduced
Benefits of slick bunk feeding
- Improved performance
- Reduced sorting of ingredients and waste (improved feed efficiency)
Define bunk reading
Determining the amount of feed that needs to be put in the bunk
Example steps of slick bunk feeding
1) bunk is read at 4:30 and 5:00am
2) bunk should be empty by 7:00am
3) Feeding is delivered at 7:30am
4) Feed is delivered twice: 40% am and 60% pm
Benefits of maximizing DMI
- increased animal performance
- reduces days to slaughter
- reduced production costs
Problems associated with rapid diet changes
- digestive disturbances
- rumen acidosis
- reduced feed intake
- reduced gains
- liver abscess
- reduced hot carcass weight
