Millet and alfalfa hays alone and in combination with high-energy diet for receiving stressed calves.

Calves subjected to stresses of weaning, marketing, shipping and processing ate more feed, gained more weight and gained more efficiently when fed a 75% concentrate receiving diet, alone or with free choice hay, than when fed hay alone (P less than .01). Diets with greater bulk or lower energy densities did not promote higher feed intake in these stressed calves, as would be the case in unstressed animals. No differences due to receiving diets were observed in number of calves treated, days treated per sick calf, death loss or relapses. There was a trend (P less than .1) for calves on hay diets to have fewer total sick days than those fed a 75% concentrate diet alone or with free choice hay. Feed intake, weight gains and conversion of feed to gain for calves on alfalfa hay alone were superior (P less than .05) to the corresponding measures for calves on millet hay alone. Both hays fed alone were inferior (P less than .01) to a 75% concentrate diet alone or in combination with either hay in promoting weight gains and conversion of feed to gain. Gastrointestinal tract fill estimated from apparent and predicted gains amounted to 93 and 76% of apparent gains for calves fed millet or alfalfa hay respectively, but only 58% or less for those fed diets containing the 75% concentrate milled feed. Growing lambs were in negative N balance when fed millet hay alone but retained approximately 15% of N intake when fed diets containing the 75% concentrate milled feed. N retention on alfalfa hay alone was intermediate. The data indicate net tissue growth in calves fed millet hay alone is near zero during a 28-day receiving period. No differences were noted between calves receiving grubicide as a dip and those given grubicide as a pour on.