Feedlot Performance of Steers and Lambs Fed Blood Meal, Meat and Bone Meal, Dehydrated Alfalfa and Soybean Meal as Supplemental Protein Sources

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Abstract
Three slowly degraded protein sources, blood meal (BM), meat and bone meal (MBM) and dehydrated alfalfa (DA), were compared with soybean meal (SBM) as supplemental protein sources in diets for steers and lambs. Medium to high energy diets, typical of feedlot conditions, were used. Protein sources were all fed in combination with urea to ensure adequate rumen ammonia levels for active microbial fermentation. In steer trial 1, protein sources were compared with a urea-supplemented basal diet (UB). Gains were .15, .16 and .15 kg higher (P<.05) for steers fed SBM, BM and DA, respectively, than for those fed UB. A nonsignificant increase in gain (.10 kg; P>.05) was observed for steers fed MBM. No differences (P>.05) in feed intake (FI) or feed to gain ratio (F.G) were detected between steers given different protein sources. In steer trial 2, the treatments were supplemental SBM added to increase dietary crude protein to 12% (SBM 12), and SBM, BM and MBM added to provide 11% dietary crude protein (SBM 11, BM 11 and MBM 11, respectively). Steers fed SBM 12 and MBM 11 had higher (P<.05) gains and FI than steers fed SBM 11. Nonsignificant improvements in gain and FI were also observed for steers fed BM 11 versus those fed SBM 11. No differences (P>.05) in F:G were observed between treatments. In lamb trial 1, the same treatments were tested as in steer trial 1. Gains by lambs fed SBM, BM, MBM and DA tended to be higher than those by lambs fed UB, but differences were not significant (P>.05). FI was higher (P<.05) on treatments BM and DA than on UB, but no differences were observed between protein sources. Feed to gain ratios also were not different (P>,05). In the second lamb trial, the same protein treatments were used as in steer trial 2. There were no differences (P>.05) in performance due to protein source. Copyright © 1981. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1981 by American Society of Animal Science.