High-Urea Supplements and Preweaning Creep Feed as Factors Affecting Postweaning Performance of Bulls

Abstract

Weanling Angus bulls, which had been used in a creep study the last 4 months prior to weaning, were used in a 168-day finishing trial to study their comparative response to high-urea and natural protein supplements. The diet consisted of limited corn silage (7.7 kg), a full-feed of high-moisture shelled corn (5 or 6 kg) plus the daily protein supplement treatments of .9 kg of a 32% natural protein, .45 kg of a high-urea 64% protein or .36 kg of a high-urea 80% protein supplement. Each of the protein supplements compared supplied approximately 45% of the total daily protein intake. The preweaning creep treatments had no effect on rate of gain. The protein supplement treatments had no effect on rate of gain over the 168-day test. Furthermore, carcass data showed no difference among carcasses from the three protein supplements. Copyright © 1977. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1977 by American Society of Animal Science.