Techniques to Reduce Free-Choice Liquid Supplement Consumption in Beef Cattle

Sales of liquid feed, excluding sales to feedlots, have grown by 50% during the 1990's and exceeded one million tons in 1998 (Anonymous, 1999). Many liquid feeds are offered free-choice to cattle grazing pasture, which has advantages of reduced labor costs, less feeder space per animal and feeder accessibility by more timid animals. With these advantages, the use of molasses based liquid supplements is becoming increasingly widespread. However, in some situations such as the Southeastern U.S., over-consumption of supplement is a problem for cattle producers. Information on effective management and supplement formulation techniques to reduce and control consumption is limited. Another issue is variation in consumption of liquid supplement between animals in a group. It is commonly believed that if the target consumption for a group of animals was met, then likewise each individual was at target consumption. However, more recent research has shown that this may be incorrect. Intake variation may be especially important when the supplement is expected to deliver precise quantities of protein, vitamins and minerals or drugs to improve performance and/or prevent disease. This research investigated two approaches to control intake of liquid supplements and monitor variation in supplement intake within groups. The objectives of these studies were to evaluate liquid supplement pH on liquid supplement intake (Exp. 1), to evaluate liquid supplement pH and acid source on liquid supplement intake (Exp. 2), and to evaluate lick wheel width and turning restriction on liquid supplement intake (Exp. 3). Additionally, intake variation among animals within the groups was evaluated in all three experiments.