. 2020 Mar 17;4(2):863–875. doi: 10.1093/tas/txaa031

Table 2.

Effects of feeding strategy^a and M. elsdenii^b on feedlot performance parameters of early weaned calves during a 72-d growing phase

	Treatment^a
Item	CON	AGR	MEC^b	SEM^c	P
Initial BW, kg^d	213.1	212.6	211.6	5.44	0.99
Final BW, kg^d	327.5	338.0	339.5	6.14	0.69
Days 1–21
ADG, kg	1.82^b	1.98^a	2.08^a	0.049	0.05
DMI, kg	6.58	6.5	6.53	0.126	0.96
Gain:feed	0.278^b	0.306^a	0.320^a	0.0064	0.03
Days 21–42
ADG, kg	1.40^b	1.63^a	1.66^a	0.037	0.01
DMI, kg	8.64	8.73	8.79	0.173	0.94
Gain: feed	0.166^b	0.187^a	0.193^a	0.0054	0.02
Days 42–72
ADG, kg	1.56	1.65	1.65	0.034	0.42
DMI, kg	10.18	10.08	10.17	0.186	0.97
Gain:feed	0.154	0.166	0.166	0.0045	0.49
Entire trial
ADG, kg	1.59^b	1.74^a	1.78^a	0.02	<0.01
DMI, kg	8.68	8.64	8.65	0.159	0.99
Gain:feed	0.185^b	0.203^a	0.209^a	0.0035	0.02

^aCalves were developed for 72 d: 1) control (CON), fed grower diet exclusively; 2) aggressive (AGR), fed 2.0% of initial BW on an as-fed basis of grower diet at 0630 h and ad libitum finishing diet at 0930 h; 3) M. elsdenii culture (MEC), drenched with 50 mL of M. elsdenii (Lactipro Advance; MS Biotech, Inc., Wamego, KS) on day 0 of the trial, fed 2.0% of initial BW on an as-fed basis of grower diet at 0630 h and ad libitum finishing diet at 0930 h.

^bCalves were drenched with no M. elsdenii or 50 mL of M. elsdenii (Lactipro; MS Biotech, Inc., Wamego, KS) on day 1 of the trial.

^cPooled standard error of treatment means (n = 15 pens/treatment).

^dInitial and interim/final weights were applied a 1% and 3% shrink, respectively.

^a–cRow means that do not have common superscripts differ (P < 0.05).