Table 3.
Animal performance, cost of forage DM per metric ton, and daily ration costs for growing beef calves from conserved forage diets during a 45-d preconditioning trial
| Item | RB* | CS | BH | SE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial BW, kg | 287 | 282 | 282 | 8.2 |
| Final BW, kg | 314 | 315 | 314 | 5.9 |
| ADG, kg/d | 0.61 | 0.72 | 0.73 | 0.12 |
| Forage DM cost per metric ton | 137 | 160 | 123 | — |
| Diet costs ($/head/day) | 1.37 | 1.02 | 0.95 | — |
*RB = annual ryegrass baleage harvested in the boot stage, CS = corn silage harvested in the milk stage, BH = Tifton 85 bermudagrass hay harvested on a 4-wk frequency from May to June 2015.