Cubed Total Mixed Ration and Steam Heating: A Practical Way to Increase the Chance of By-Pass Protein in Fattening Calves

Feeding steamed and cubed processing of concentrate in the diet may affect rumen degradability of protein and increase the by-pass protein to the intestine. Therefore, in this study, the effects of cubing and steam processing on feed intake, digestibility, and rumen degradability in fattening calves were studied. Twenty-four male brown Swiss calves, averaging 234 ± 20 kg of body weight, were randomly selected for the study. The experimental treatments were: total mixed ration (TMR); cubed total mixed ration without steam processing concentrate portion (CTMR); cubed total mixed ration with the steam processing of concentrate portion (CSTMR). After 105 days of fattening period, the apparent digestibility of dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) was the same among the treatments. The concentration of rumen ammonia N tended to be lower for CSTMR than for TMR and CTMR. The CSTMR decreased rumen pH compared with TMR. The feed efficiency was not affected by the experimental diets. In conclusion, feeding CSTMR improved some rumen fermentation characteristics with no negative effect on nutrient digestibility. Furthermore, CSTMR feeding decreased CP degradability and rumen ammonia N, which increases the chance of bypass nutrients to the small intestine.