Impact of automated bunk management on feedlot steer performance and dry matter intake variation

Bunk management (BM) matches feed deliveries to pen appetence of feedlot cattle, while managing variation in daily feed intake to reduce the risk of digestive disorders. Conventional BM relies on highly skilled feedlot staff, and labour turnover or shortages can increase the risk of poor performance outcomes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a second-generation algorithm-based automated bunk management system (AUTO) on feedlot performance and feed intake variation of Brahman cross steers (n = 3448), compared with conventional human-managed slick bunk management (CON). Dry matter delivered (DMD) was calculated using daily feed delivery records, and dry matter intake (DMI) was calculated using lidar scanner. Over the 115-day feeding period, no differences (P ≥ 0.210) were observed between treatments for final body weight, DMD, DMI, or feed efficiency. There was a tendency for improved carcass-adjusted average daily gain (ADG) for the AUTO treatment (P = 0.084). The AUTO treatment showed greater day-to-day variation in DMD (P = 0.012), but DMI variability was unaffected (P = 0.487), suggesting that feed delivery records alone may be a poor indicator of actual daily pen consumption. Results indicate that automated bunk management can match skilled human operators in maintaining cattle performance and DMI variation. Automating bunk management provides a pathway to meet feedlot skill shortages and a platform for precision feeding advancements to support feedlot staff and animal performance.