Growing calves grazing rangeland pasture during the summer often lack sufficient nutrition to achieve desired body weight gains. Providing a nutritional supplement can help bridge nutrient gaps and enhance performance, but frequent deliveries of supplemental feed are becoming increasingly costly due to rising fuel and labor expenses.
To explore a more cost-effective approach, Oklahoma State University (OSU) animal science researchers conducted a stocker calf supplementation study to compare self-fed to hand-feeding supplemental dried distillers grains (DDGS) at the Marvin Klemme Range Research Station in Bessie, OK.
The DDGS-based supplements provided by Pellet Technologies USA (York, NE) were in two different forms:
1. A DDGS cube (PowerCubes, Pellet Technologies LLC).
2. A 200-pound DDGS pressed tub (PowerTubs, Pellet Technologies LLC).
During the early summer period, steers fed tubs consumed approximately 2.2 lbs. of feed per head each day. Adjustments were made in the late summer to ensure the target daily intake of 2.5 lbs. for the groups fed tubs to more closely match targeted intake in hand-fed groups for the remainder of the trial. Steers fed cubes received approximately 2.5 lbs. of feed per head each day throughout the entire study.
Calf performance
There were no significant differences in starting, mid-point or final body weights between the two feeding methods. Average daily weight gains were also similar during both the early and late grazing periods.
However, over the full 140-day trial, steers that were hand-fed cubes gained slightly more weight (0.18 lbs. per day) than those consuming the tubs. This slight improvement in daily weight gain for the cube-fed steers was likely due to a marginally greater amount of supplement consumed during the early grazing period.
Economic considerations
While hand-feeding cubes three times per week resulted in slightly better weight gains, the additional costs associated with supplement delivery could outweigh these benefits.
Using estimated feed costs of $0.26/lb. for DDGS cubes and $0.55/lb. for the tubs, a round-trip feeding route of approximately 54 miles would justify the higher expense of the tubs.
This study also collected data on pasture forage quality, including forage biomass and nutritional value, to better understand how grazing conditions influenced steer performance. Researchers plan to repeat this study at the same location during the summer of 2025, using the same DDGS products provided by Pellet Technology USA.
Insights from the upcoming trial, along with the current data, will further refine the understanding of supplementation strategies and their economic feasibility. — Paul Vining and Paul Beck, OSU Cooperative Extension Service
