Table 3.
Live weight, ADG, feed intake, G:F, and carcass characteristics of beef heifers fed 10% barley straw or 19% alfalfa hay
| Diets1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Item | BS | AH | SEM | P-value |
| Performance variables | ||||
| Initial BW, kg | 234.0 | 237.2 | 2.31 | 0.345 |
| Final BW, kg | 364.3 | 383.9 | 6.13 | 0.035 |
| ADG, kg/d | 1.29 | 1.45 | 0.051 | 0.036 |
| Feed intake, kg/d | 8.40 | 9.51 | 0.392 | 0.049 |
| G:F, kg/kg | 0.15 | 0.17 | 0.013 | 0.632 |
| Carcass characteristics | ||||
| HCW, kg | 212.0 | 217.1 | 4.42 | 0.292 |
| Dressing percent | 53.5 | 52.9 | 0.56 | 0.535 |
| Conformation grade2 | 3.0 ± 0.03 | 2.9 ± 0.08 | 0.285 | |
| Fatness grade4> | 2.9 ± 0.08 | 2.8 ± 0.11 | 0.505 | |
| Backfat color | ||||
| Lightness (L*) | 71.0 | 68.4 | 1.62 | 0.702 |
| Redness (a*) | 4.8 | 4.3 | 0.30 | 0.343 |
| Yellowness (b*) | 12.1 | 10.8 | 0.51 | 0.377 |
| Chroma | 13.1 | 11.7 | 0.55 | 0.344 |
| Hue angle | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.02 | 0.830 |
1
BS = total mixed ration with 10% of barley straw; AH = total mixed ration with 19% of alfalfa hay.
2
Conformation grade: 6 = superior; 5 = excellent; 4 = very good; 3 = good; 2 = fair; 1 = poor.
3
Mean ± SE.
4
Fatness grade: 1 = low; 2 = slight; 3 = average; 4 = high; 5 = very high.