Healthy calves enter the feedlot with a performance edge. The Texas Ranch to Rail Program documents that one of the major factors impacting cattle profitability is the difference in return between healthy and sick cattle. The biggest difference in profitability ($151.18/hd) was observed in the 2000-2001 summary (Table 1), while return differences from 1992 to 2001 ranged from $50 to over $150/hd. The biggest profit difference between healthy and sick feedlot cattle is the lost performance of sick cattle.

To maintain and achieve high health status in starting calves a fast start on feed is needed along with getting nutrients into the calves. Shipped or newly weaned calves tend to have low feed intake, which can contribute to health problems, poor performance, and reduced income. In addition to the high-quality ingredients used to manufacture Alliance Nutrition’s Arrival/Starting products, Sucram®*, a high intensity feed flavoring, is used to provide stressed calves extra incentive to approach the feedbunk and eat. Sucram has been proven to encourage feed intake in controlled research experiments.

West Texas A&M Research
Three levels of Sucram were evaluated in a 56-day experiment at West Texas A&M. The trial used two hundred and twenty mixed breed steers, which were shipped from Arkansas to Canyon, Texas. Steers averaged 417 lb at arrival. A 50% concentrate diet (14.5% CP) made up primarily of steam-flaked corn, alfalfa hay, and cottonseed hulls was fed in fenceline bunks. Sucram was most effective at 200 g/ton. This amount of Sucram improved DMI (1.4 lb/day), ADG (0.4 lb/day), and efficiency (about 5%)
(Figure 1).

ADM Alliance Nutrition Research
The Texas results were confirmed in an ADM Alliance Nutrition Research experiment. One hundred and twelve steers in 16 pens were used to compare control and Sucram supplemented (2 g/day) diets. Purchased cattle were received onto a 60% concentrate diet and stepped up to a 90% concentrate diet over 18 days. The 90% diet contained 13.5% CP and 62 NEg/cwt. Diets were primarily dry-rolled corn and corn silage.


Experimental diets were fed for a total of 27 days. As typical for short receiving experiments, statistical differences were hard to detect even though numeric differences were relatively large. Steers fed the Sucram treatment consumed about 1 lb/day more feed than control steers (12.3 vs 11.2, P = .09) during the first week and, numerically, for the entire experiment (Figure 2).

 

Although not statistically significant, steers fed Sucram numerically gained about 0.5 lb/day more (2.71 vs. 2.22 lb/day, respectively) and were numerically more efficient (feed efficiency = 4.6 vs. 5.2, respectively) than control steers over the 27-day experiment (Figure 3).

 

 

Conclusion
Both independent and ADM Alliance Nutrition research validate the effectiveness of Sucram for increasing feed intake of newly arrived feedlot calves. Achieving targeted feed intake during the arrival phase and keeping calves healthy typically translates into better gains through the finish phase, which can lead to greater profit opportunities.

*Not a trademark of ADM.