Effects of ammonia-treated maize on growth performance of beef cattle

High-moisture cereal grains are often treated with ammonia to prevent spoilage and for perceived animal performance advantages, but there few reports on the effects of treatment cattle performance. This study was carried out 101 Charolais quantify feeding ammonia-treated maize intensively fattened beef cattle. Animals were assigned 16 pens in two sheds all animals each pen fed same diet 176 d. The diets either (ATM) or untreated (UTM), formulated be approximately isoenergetic isonitrogenous. Cattle ATM had a lower feed conversion ratio (FCR) (6.14 ± 0.39 vs 6.49 0.41 kg DM/kg BW; p = 0.011) tended have higher average daily liveweight gain (ADG) (1.60 0.10 1.54 kg/d; 0.060). pH ruminal fluid at slaughter (p < 0.001) that (6.35 0.69) compared those UTM (5.46 0.33). No differences found concentrations NH3 total VFA between groups. molar proportion butyric acid from VFAs than (14.69 3.55% 18.04 2.97% respectively; 0.012), propionic groups (22.14 1.54% 19.54 1.72% 0.001). acetic significantly (ATM UTM: 2.64 0.26 2.97 0.29; 0.0038). Faecal starch (UTM) (14.73 5.65 18.14 4.27% DM; faeces group (4.75 0.19 4.55 0.19; In conclusion, resulted increased ADG decreased FCR, reduced faecal concentration, suggesting possible gains efficiency utilisation.