Impact of adding water to a barley-based finishing feedlot diet on feed sorting behaviour and ruminal fermentation for growing beef steers
| dc.contributor.author | Seidle, C.M. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Penner, Gregory | |
| dc.contributor.author | Ribeiro, Gabriel | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-06-09T21:39:23Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-06-09T21:39:23Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-05-07 | |
| dc.description | Attribution 4.0 International | |
| dc.description.abstract | This study evaluated the effects of adding water to a barley-based feedlot diet on feed intake, feed sorting, ruminal fermentation, and apparent total tract digestibility. Eight ruminally cannulated Hereford crossbred steers were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design with 4 dietary treatments. Steers received a common diet with aggressively processed dry-rolled barley grain to create a sortable diet. Water was added to the total mixed ration, equating to 0% (CON), 10% (10W), 20% (20W), and 30% (30W) of the barley grain weight. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS with linear and quadratic contrasts. Adding water linearly increased dry matter intake (DMI; P < 0.01) and water intake (P = 0.04). As water inclusion increased, the sorting index for particles on the pan approached 100% (linear, P < 0.01) indicating greater fine particle consumption. Mean (P < 0.01) and maximum ruminal pH linearly (P = 0.02) decreased, while the duration that pH was <5.5 (P = 0.02) and the concentration of lipopolysaccharide in ruminal fluid increased linearly as water inclusion increased (P < 0.01). These data suggest that adding water to a barley-based feedlot diet reduces dietary sorting and increases DMI but elevates the risk of ruminal acidosis when using aggressively processed barley grain. | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | SaskBarley (Saska-toon, SK, Canada), SaskMilk (Regina, SK, Canada), and Nat-ural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada(NSERC; Ottawa, ON, Canada). | |
| dc.description.version | Peer Reviewed | |
| dc.identifier.citation | C.M. Seidle, G.O. Ribeiro, and G.B. Penner. 2025. Impact of adding water to a barley-based finishing feedlot diet on feed sorting behaviour and ruminal fermentation for growing beef steers. Canadian Journal of Animal Science. 105: 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjas-2025-0017 | |
| dc.identifier.doi | https://doi.org/10.1139/cjas-2025-0017 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10388/17001 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Canadian Science Publishing | |
| dc.rights | Attribution 2.5 Canada | en |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ca/ | |
| dc.subject | fines | |
| dc.subject | grain processing | |
| dc.subject | particle size | |
| dc.subject | rumial acidosis | |
| dc.title | Impact of adding water to a barley-based finishing feedlot diet on feed sorting behaviour and ruminal fermentation for growing beef steers | |
| dc.type | Article |