This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of high moisture corn and high moisture sorghum versus corn and sorghum grains on intake and production of feedlot lambs. Confinement lasted 77 days and was divided in two periods as follows: in the first 35 days elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) was used in a forage:concentrate ratio of 50:50 while Brachiaria-grass (Brachiaria brizantha) hay was used in a forage:concentrate of 30:70 in the remaining 42 days. Animals were blocked by weight and randomly assigned to one of four treatments: high moisture corn, high moisture sorghum, corn grain, or sorghum grain. Intakes of DM expressed in g/day, in % BW or in g/ kg BW0.75 did not differ among treatments averaging 920.79 g/day, 3.59%, and 81.01 g/kg BW0.75. The weight gain (0.17 vs. 0.13 and 0.19 vs. 0.13 kg/day), feed conversion (5.57 vs. 6.37 and 5.05 vs. 6.86), and feed efficiency (17.95 vs. 15.69 and 19.79 vs. 14.74) values were higher for animals fed high moisture corn and high moisture sorghum grain compared to corn and sorghum grains, respectively. Lambs fed Brachiaria hay supplemented with either high moisture sorghum or sorghum grain had greater weight gain while those fed sorghum grain showed improved feed conversion. In diets with forage:concentrate ratio of 50:50 feeding high moisture corn and high moisture sorghum resulted in increased weight gains, feed conversion, and feed efficiency compared to corn and sorghum grains. In diets with higher proportion of concentrate (forage:concentrate ratio of 30:70) the reduction in animal production may be explained by the rapid degradation of corn leading to poor ruminal environment.
feedlot; performance; sheep
