2006 Annual Report Beef Section | Dickinson
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Effect of field pea-flaxseed blends on receiving
calf weaning performance, immune response,
feedlot performance, carcass quality,
and economics
Progress Report
D.G. Landblom1, D.K. Olson2, and
C.J. Wachenheim3
1NDSU -
Research conducted in North Dakota has
shown field peas to be a nutrient dense and palatable feedstuff with high rumen
degradable protein characteristics that can replace corn and barley in
virtually all beef cattle feeding situations, i.e. creep-feeding, receiving,
backgrounding, and finishing diets (Poland et al., 1996; Anderson, 1998, 1999;
Landblom et al., 2002, 2005; Reed, et al., 2004ab, Soto-Navarro et
al., 2004;). Field peas have also been
shown to improve eating quality of beef (Anderson and Schoonmaker, 2004).
Flaxseed,
grown predominantly in
While
flaxseed, a source of omega-3 fatty acid, has been shown to improve receiving
calf health in corn-based diets, research to evaluate the impact of flaxseed on
health status, when fed in conjunction with field peas, has not been
investigated. The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the effect of
field pea-flaxseed blends on receiving calf performance, carry-over effect on subsequent
finishing performance and carcass merit, immediate and carry-over effect on
health status, and feeding economics.
Procedure
One
hundred seventy-six steer calves (Angus X Hereford X Gelbvieh) that averaged
646 pounds were weaned and randomly assigned across four pelleted dietary receiving/weaning
transition treatments that included a 1) fiber-based control, 2) fiber-base +
10% flaxseed, 3) fiber-base + 20% field pea and 4) fiber-base + 20% field pea and
10% flaxseed. The supplement nutrient
composition and nutrient analysis is shown in Table 1. Each experimental diet was assigned to four
pen replicates with four steers assigned to each pen replicate. Steers were weaned the first week of November
and backgrounded an average 50 days at the
Beginning with the second year of this multiple-year
investigation, an immune response component was added to determine the
potential impact of flaxseed on calf resistance to bovine respiratory
disease.
Two to four weeks before weaning date, calves were
vaccinated against economically important bacterial and viral diseases and were
administered a booster vaccination for the same diseases at weaning. Blood samples are drawn from the steers at preweaning,
weaning, 30, 60, and 90 days postweaning, and serum antibody level for BVD
virus types I and II and IBR virus are being determined. In addition the incidence of illness,
treatments, and treatment cost are also being recorded.
Results
Results of the receiving/backgrounding transition
effect on animal performance, efficiency and economics are shown in Table
2. In the analysis model, treatment,
year, and year by treatment interactions are being tested. With the exception of an interaction that was
identified for finishing starting weight, no treatment by year interactions
were identified in backgrounding and finishing data; therefore, the multiple-year
data was combined. On average, and
compared to the control diet, supplements that contained flaxseed were 2.09
times higher in fat content and had 6.2% greater net energy for gain. On average, the steers consumed 8.4 pounds of
chopped mixed hay and 9.68 pounds of the control and test supplements. When field pea occurred alone in the
supplement, intake did not differ between treatments (P > 0.10); however, rate of gain was slower (P < 0.01) and feed per pound of gain
was greater (P < 0.10) compared to
treatments that included flaxseed. When flaxseed was included alone in the
supplement or as a blend with field pea, inclusion was associated with improved
rate of gain (P< 0.01) and feed
efficiency (P< 0.10) when compared
to control and field pea test supplements.
Economically, compared to control and field pea test supplements, flaxseed
and the field pea-flaxseed blended test supplements were associated with the
lowest feed cost per pound of gain (P
= 0.01). Compared to the control
supplement, feeding a field pea-flaxseed blend reduced the cost per hundred
pounds of gain by 13.1% and compared to field pea supplement feed cost per
hundred pounds of gain was reduced 11.7%.
The finishing phase of the investigation was conducted
at a commercial feed yard in
The finishing data analysis model includes year,
treatment, and a test for year by treatment interactions in the model. In the two-year data set, an interaction was
identified for receiving weight and carcass fat depth measured between the 12th
and 13th ribs. Receiving
weight was greater for field pea-flaxseed backgrounded steers, which is
reflective of the performance and efficiency advantages observed when a field
pea-flaxseed blended supplement was fed.
The data analysis reflects a highly significant year effect for all
criteria measured (P < 0.01) with
the exception of average daily finishing feed intake, which did not differ for
year effect (P > 0.55). Within the finishing data set, no growth
performance or carcass measurement differences were recorded that differed
significantly.
Finishing economics and a summary associated with retained
ownership economics are shown in Table 4.
While growth performance among steers that received the field pea
supplement during the receiving/weaning transition phase unremarkable,
supplementation with field peas in the receiving diet was associated with
higher carcass value, higher net return to finishing, and to retained
ownership. Compared to the average of
the other treatments, field pea inclusion during the receiving period was
associated with a $27.93 advantage per steer marketed.
The effect of flaxseed on immune response and health
status is incomplete. This component of
the study will be completed when the last steer groups are harvested this spring.
Implication
While
this project is still in progress, results to date suggest that inclusion of
field peas and flaxseed during the receiving-weaning transition phase improves backgrounding
efficiency and reduces feed cost per hundred-weight. Two years of finishing data suggests that
there may be a positive carry-over effect on carcass quality when 20% field
peas are included in the backgrounding diet and that field pea carry-over may
improve net return to finishing.
Literature cited
Drouillard,
J.S., E.J. Good, C.M. Gordon, T.J. Kessen, M.J. Sulpizio, S.P. Montgomery, and J.J. Sindt. 2001. Flaxseed and flaxseed products for cattle:
effects on health, growth performance, carcass quality,
and sensory attributes. In Proceedings
of the 59th Annual Flax Institute of the United States, North Dakota
State University, Fargo, ND.
Landblom, D.G., W.W. Poland, G.P. Lardy, J.S. Caton, and C.J. Wachenheim. 2002.
Evaluation of intake restricted pea-based creep diets among calves
grazing western
Reed, J.J., G.P. Lardy, M.L. Bauer, T.C. Gilbery, and J.S. Caton. 2004a. Effect of field pea level on intake,
digestion, microbial efficiency, ruminal fermentation, and in situ
disappearance in beef steers fed forage-based diets. J. Anim. Sci. 82:2185-2192.
Reed, J.J., G.P. Lardy, M.L. Bauer, T.C. Gilbery, and J.S. Caton. 2004b. Effect of field pea level on intake,
digestion, microbial efficiency, ruminal fermentation, and in situ
disappearance in beef steers fed growing diets.
J. Anim. Sci.
82:2123-2130.
Soto-Narvarro, S.A, G.J.
Williams, M.L. Bauer, G.P. Lardy, D.G. Landblom, and J.S. Caton. 2004.
Effect of field pea replacement level on intake and digestion in beef
steers fed by-product-based medium-concentrate diets. J. Anim. Sci. 82:1855-1962.
Acknowledgment
Support for this project is provided by the
USDA/CSREES Cool Season Food Legume Special Grant BAK 630-01.
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