Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

1963

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Animal Science

Abstract

By nature, the ruminant animal was designed to be primarily a forage consuming animal. Under usual conditions, a large percentage of the nutrients consumed by ruminants are furnished by high-fiber feeds. The ruminant animal is relatively inefficient in the conversion of food nutrients into body tissues. Not only is the ruminant relatively inefficient in feed conversion, it is also more prone to digestive disturbances when high concentrate rations are fed. Improvement in the animal must come from effective selection and/or breeding of more efficient animals or from alteration of the physiological processes governing the animal’ metabolism which will promote increased digestion and assimilation of food nutrients. This study was designed to test the effectiveness in ration improvement from certain additions to a high-concentrate basal ration fed to fattening cattle. The improvement in rate, efficiency, and economy of gain and the quality of the carcasses produced were the main criteria used to determine the value of the additions to the basal ration. The work reported herein is the results obtained with beef cattle from the addition of three additives, dynafac, animal fats, and stilbestrol, either singly or in combination, and with dynafac added at different levels to a basal corn-alfalfa fattening ration.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Beef cattle -- Feeding and feeds

Description

Includes bibliographical references

Format

application/pdf

Number of Pages

67

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