Performance of Feedlot Cattle Fed Brown Midrib-Three or Normal Corn Silage with Various Levels of Additional Corn Grain

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Abstract
A 2-year study was conducted to compare the performances of feedlot cattle fed either brown midrib-three {bm3) corn silage or its normal genetic counterpart with and without various levels of added corn grain. In the first year, daily silage dry matter (DM) intakes for steers fed bm3 and normal silages were 5.90 and 5.43 kg without supplemental corn grain, and 2.70 and 2.46 kg when additional grain was fed at 2% of body weight (BW). Average daily gains (ADG) for steers fed bm3 and normal silages were .90 and .82 kg (P<.10) when no additional grain was fed, and 1.03 and 1.01 kg when grain was fed at 2% of BW. In the second year, daily silage DM intakes for heifers fed bm3 and normal silages were 6.18 and 5.71 kg (P<.10) when no additional corn grain was fed, 4.37 and 4.38 kg when grain was fed at 1% of BW and 2.06 and 2.01 kg when grain was fed at 2% of BW. ADG for heifers fed bm3 and normal silages were 1.03 and .90 kg (P<.10) when no additional corn grain was fed, 1.12 and 1.03 kg (P<.10) when grain was fed at 1% of BW and 1.21 and 1.17 kg when grain was fed at 2% of BW. The feeding of bm3 silage resulted in greater (P<.10) cattle weight gains when no additional corn grain was fed, in both years, and when additional grain was fed at 1% of BW in year 2, but no differences in gain were observed in either year when grain was fed at 2% of BW. The lower lignin content of bm3 corn silage resulted in greater apparent fiber utilization by feedlot cattle when little or no added corn grain was fed. However, when corn grain was fed at 2% of BW, bm3 corn silage produced no advantage. Copyright © 1981. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1981 by American Society of Animal Science.