PSXII-23 - Performance of Nellore bulls fed snaplage in fishing diets

Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of snaplage on fecal characteristics, feeding behavior, and performance in fishing bulls. Seventy-two single-sourced Nellore bulls (initial shrunk BW = 400 ± 27.4 kg) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments (3 bulls per pen; 8 pen replicates per treatment). Treatments consisted of finishing diets with the following sources of fiber and energy: 1) corn silage, reconstituted corn grain silage, and dry-ground corn (CONTROL), 2) snaplage (inclusion of 65% of DM) and dry-ground corn (SNAP65), and 3) snaplage only (inclusion of 85% of DM; SNAP85). All diets contained the same inclusion of soybean meal, cotton meal, urea, and mineral mix. Diets were formulated using NASEM (2016) to provide an ADG of 1.8 kg/d. Bulls were adapted to the finishing diets over a 15-d period and fed for a total of 86 d. Fecal samples were collected on d 42, 65, and 73. Feeding behavior was assessed on d 51 and 69. Statistical analysis of experimental data was performed using the MIXED procedure of SAS 9.4. An α of 0.05 determined significance and an α of 0.06 to 0.10 was considered a tendency. No differences were obtained for initial BW, G:F, hot carcass, and dressing. SNAP85 had a greater intake, followed by SNAP65 and CONTROL diets (P = 0.02). There was a tendency of greater ADG and final BW (P = 0.07 and 0.08, respectively) for SNAP65 diets (2.0 kg/d and 572 kg), followed by SNAP85 (1.95 kg/d and 567 kg) and CONTROL (1.85 kg/d and 558 kg). A tendency (P = 0.07) was also observed for greater ribeye area in bulls consuming SNAP65 (85 cm²), followed by CONTROL (81 cm²), and SNAP85 (77 cm²). Bulls consuming SNAP65 and SNAP85 spent more time chewing (on average, 249 min/d) than those consuming CONTROL diets (177 min/d; P = 0.01). Regarding fecal characteristics, pH and fecal starch were greater for SNAP85 (P = 0.01 for both variables). Overall, snaplage is a suitable ingredient for high-starch diets for providing energy and physically effective fiber. The inclusion of 65% of snaplage and 20% of dry-ground corn (DM basis) showed a slight superior performance in Nellore bulls.