Phosphorus and Vitamin D in Beef Finishing Diets
2003
Hurley, L.A. | Stanton, T.L. | Schütz, D.
Two hundred eighty-three steer calves (mean BW = 290 ± 6 kg) were used to evaluate the effects of feeding two levels each of phosphorus and vitamin D on growth performance and carcass characteristics. The experimental design was a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of a randomized block design with approximately 71 steers per treatment. Steers were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups. Each group consisted of six pens of 11 or 12 steers each. The four treatments were 1) Low P:low vitamin D (0.24% and 0 IU/kg, respectively) 2) Low P:high vitamin D (0.24% and 5,364 IU/kg, respectively) 3) High P:low vitamin D (0.35% and 0 IU/kg, respectively) and 4) High P:high vitamin D (0.35% and 5,364 IU/kg, respectively). Starting diets contained 65% whole corn and increased to a final 89.9% whole corn finishing diet over a 4r-wk period. Overall DMI, ADG, and feed efficiency were not affected by supplementing with phosphorus and/or vitamin D in finishing diets. Off-test BW and hot carcass weight were numerically heavier for cattle supplemented with P and vitamin D. Supplementing P and/ or vitamin D to finishing calves had no significant benefit on growth performance or carcass characteristics.
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