FEEDLOT PERFORMANCE AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF GROWING-FINISHING CATTLE FED MAIZE SILAGE SWEET SORGHUM SILAGE, AND FESCUE HAY

Thirty-two yearling Angus, Hereford, and Angus x Hereford steers and h eifers averaging 248.8 +/- 12.3 kg were assigned randomly to maize sil age (MS), Brandes sweet sorghum silage (BS), Theis sweet sorghum silag e (TS), or fescue hay (FH) treatments. Animals were group-fed their re spective diets ad libitum tor 174 days including a 21-day adaptation p eriod. The diets included a concentrate mixture and were fed at a 45:5 5 forage-to-concentrate dry matter (DM) ratio. Animals fed the BS diet had a higher (P < 0.05) average daily gain and heavier carcasses than those fed TS or FH. Average daily gain and carcass weight were simila r (P > 0.05) among animals fed BS and MS or among those fed MS and TS. Animals fed FH had the lowest average daily gain and carcass weight, which similar to those of TS-fed animals. Intake of DM, as well as tot al protein, was greater (P < 0.05) for animals fed TS than for those f ed either BS or MS; however, the last two treatment groups utilized th eir diets more efficiently than did the TS-fed group. Overall, carcass characteristics were not affected (P > 0.05) by diets except for fat thickness and yield grade. Brandes sweet sorghum silage may be a suita ble substitute for MS for growing-finishing cattle.