Concentrate feeding and feed ingredients for growing-finishing

Abstract

Small improvements in feed efficiency, especially during indoor ‘winter’ feeding periods, can have a relatively large influence on farm profitability. Increasing the level of concentrates in the diet reduces forage intake and increases live weight and carcass weight gains, although at a decreasing rate. Subsequent compensatory growth at pasture diminishes the advantage of concentrate supplementation of young cattle. High digestibility grass silage with moderate concentrate supplementation can sustain a large proportion of the cattle performance achieved on highconcentrate diets. Feeding management is more important when feeding concentrates ad libitum than as a supplement. The relative nutritive (and economic) value of by-product feed ingredients depends on their inclusion level in the ration, and the amount of concentrates fed.