EFFECT OF POULTRY LITTER ON WEIGHT GAIN OF WINTER CATTLE

 

K. C. Barnes2, S. C. Smith2, J. G. Britton3 and D. M. Miller4

Story in Brief

Eighty seven stocker cattle, steers and heifers mixed, were used to study the effect of poultry litter as a supplement to medium quality forages on winter weight gain. Cattle were fed supplements of corn only, corn plus poultry litter, or were fed no supplement. The trial was conducted for 73 days from November 26, 1996, with cattle supplemented for 71 days. Treatment groups grazed separate pastures of dormant Bermuda grass overseeded with wheat and offered high quality hay free choice. Cattle were rotated weekly between pastures. Gains for control, corn only and corn plus poultry litter were 85, 99, and 127 lb/head, respectively.

(Key Words: Poultry Litter, Stocker Cattle.)

 

Introduction

The commercial poultry industry in Eastern Oklahoma produces significant amounts of poultry litter. This litter consists of manure, bedding and spilled feed. Environmental concerns and high feed prices prompt stocker cattle operators to consider poultry litter as a feed for grazing or wintering stocker cattle. Laboratory analyses show litter to generally average within the ranges of 20-25% crude protein, 55-60% TDN, 20-25% ash with significant levels of calcium, phosphorus and other macro and trace minerals. A sample survey by Ruffm and McCaskey (1990) demonstrated large variations around averages of nutrient contents in 106 poultry litter samples. (Smith et al., 1993) showed no benefit to feeding a supplement of corn plus poultry litter to wintering stocker cattle on hay compared to supplements of corn only or corn and cottonseed meal. Summer stocker cattle did not respond to corn plus poultry litter relative to cattle fed cottonseed meal and corn (Smith, 1996). Ruffm and McCaskey recommended diets supplemented with 50:50 poultry litter:corn to improve animal performance. The objective of this research was to determine the value of poultry litter as a supplement ingredient when fed to winter stocker cattle.
 

Materials and Methods

Eighty seven yearling stocker steers and heifers averaging 492 lb. body weight, were individually identified with numbered eartags, weighed, dewormed with Synanthic® (IniJ/4.54 kg BW) and randomly allotted to treatments of control, corn only and corn plus poultry litter. Treatment groups grazed separate pastures of dormant Bermuda grass overseeded with wheat and offered 13.5% crude protein (dry matter basis) hay free choice. Cattle were rotated weekly between pastures. Treatment groups were fed six times weekly supplements (Tables I and 2) in the amounts of 4 lb corn or 4 lb corn plus 4 lb poultry litter. This resulted in an average daily supplement intake of 3.4 and 6.9 lbs for the corn and corn little groups respectively. A control group was fed no supplement. Cattle were not implanted.

At the initiation of the trial the amount of supplement fed to the corn group was matched to the amount of corn consumed by the corn plus poultry litter cattle as they adapted to the supplement and ate increasing amounts. The desired levels of supplement intake reached 4 lb. corn and 4 lb. corn plus 4 lb. litter after 7 days. Cattle were then group fed their respective feed supplements for 64 more days. Final full weights on the cattle were taken two days following cessation of supplemental feeding during which time all groups were turned together. Feed samples were collected and analyzed by Livestock Nutrition Laboratory Services, Columbia, Missouri.

 

Results and Discussion

Cattle were supplemented 71 days of the 73 day trial. The first seven days of the trial cattle did not consume the desired level of supplements until the cattle fed corn plus poultry litter fully adapted to the supplement. Although limited, it was observed that control cattle had access to more wheat pasture due to their relative position in pasture rotation. The high levels of feed provided supplemented cattle appeared to negatively affect grazing, leaving more wheat pasture to the control cattle when they rotated into a pasture.

Cattle receiving the supplement of corn plus poultry litter gained 42 lb more than control cattle (P<.01) and 28 lb more than cattle supplemented with corn (P<.01). Corn cattle gained 14 lb more (P<.04) than control cattle (Table 3).

Cattle on a forage based diet generally show improved performance from feed supplementation as a result of increased energy intake or the correction of a protein deficiency. A corrected protein deficiency increases forage digestibility and intake. Cattle supplemented with corn only demonstrated expected improved levels of performance due to energy supplementation (Lusby et al., 1982). The high relative gains of the cattle supplemented with corn plus poultry litter in this trial can not be explained. Poultry litter does not contain the energy needed to improve gains at twice the level of that found in corn under most situations where supplements are fed to cattle on a forage based diet. Very efficient conversions of feed to gain are found with the correction of a protein deficiency in a forage diet. The greater weight gains of the cattle fed corn plus poultry litter would not be consistent with the correction of a protein deficiency because of the available wheat pasture and high quality free choice hay.

 

Literature Cited

Lusby, K.S. et al. 1982. Okla. Agr. Exp. Sta. Res. Rep. MP-112:36.

Ruffin B.G. and T. A. McCaskey. 1990. Feedstuffs 62(15):13.

Smith, S.C. et al. 1993. Okla. Agr. Exp. Sta. Res. Rep. P-933:160. Smith, S.C. et al. 1996. Unpublished.

 
 
Table 1. Analysis of feed supplements.a(Dry matter basis)
Item
Corn
Only
Litter/
Corn
Moisture, %
13.19
14.29
Crude protein, %
8.96
18.70
ADF, %
3.46
13.84
TDN, %
91.16
73.62
NEm, mcal/lb
1.08
.73
NEg, mcal/lb
.69
.47
Nitrogen, %
.43
2.99
Calcium, %
.02
1.82
Phosphorus, %
.24
1.03
Magnesium, %
.15
.43
Potassium, 
.89
1.77
Sodium, %
.01
.18
Sulphur, %
.30
.35
Iron, ppm
63.05
784.04
Copper, ppm
5.78
38.44
Manganese, ppm
9.25
355.32
Zinc, ppm 
28.34
184.07
'Livestock Nutrition Laboratory Services, Columbia, Missouri.

 

 

 
 
Table 2. Average daily nutrient amount fed. (Dry matter basis)
Item
Only
Corn
Litter/
Corn
Daily feed, lbs.
3.4
6.9
Crude protein, lbs.
.30
1.3
TDN, lbs.
3.0
5.0
Calcium, g
3.0
56.0
Phosphorus, g
3.2
27.6
 
 
Table 3. Effect of supplement on stocker gain.
Number Initial 

weight

 Gain
Control 29 495 85a
only 28 487 99b
Corn + litter 30 496 127c
a,b,'values with different superscripts differ at the P <.0l level.

  


1997 Research Report