Effects of Level of Alfalfa Hay in Steam-flaked Corn Based Diets Containing 25% Sorghum Wet Distiller’s Grains

Two hundred forty crossbred yearling steers (836 ± 41 lb) were blocked by weight and used in a completely randomized design study intended to determine the effects of three levels of alfalfa hay (7.5, 10, and 12.5%) in steam-flaked corn (SFC) based finishing diets containing 25% wet distiller’s grains (WDG) derived from sorghum. Inclusion of WDG tended to increase DMI (P = 0.17), reduce ADG (P ≤ 0.15), and increase feed:gain (P ≤ 0.03). The calculated energy density of the WDG was 73% the value of the SFC used in this study. Increasing level of alfalfa hay in diets containing 25% sorghum WDG tended to linearly increase DMI (P = 0.16) and feed:gain (P = 0.16), with no change in ADG (P = 0.92) when animal performance was calculated on a carcass-adjusted basis. Inclusion of roughage at a level equivalent to 7.5% alfalfa hay appears to be adequate in diets containing 25% sorghum WDG.