Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of ruminally-protected lysine supplementation fed during the growing phase to cattle limit-fed a corn-based diet, and to evaluate the subsequent finishing performance.
Study Description: For 77 days, a group of 338 steers limit-fed at 2.4% of body weight daily on a dry matter basis were allocated to treatments providing 0, 3, or 6 g/day of lysine from Smartamine ML (Adisseo, Alpharetta, GA), or containing blood meal plus ruminally-protected methionine from Smartamine M. Growth performance was measured over the growing period. Cattle were then shipped to a commercial feedlot and fed without treatment until slaughter. Finishing performance was gathered from carcass data.
Results: Steers supplemented with 3 g/day of lysine appeared to have the greatest response during the growing phase, having the heaviest body weights on day 77, and greatest average daily gains and gain:feed ratios. In the finishing phase, cattle that received 3 g/day of lysine during the growing phase maintained the weight advantage, relative to the control, established during the growing phase. Cattle receiving 6 g/day of lysine during the growing phase performed best during the finishing phase. Cattle receiving 3 and 6 g/day of lysine during the growing phase had carcasses that were 8 and 16 lb greater, respectively, than the control.
The Bottom Line: When fed corn-based diets, supplementation of ruminally-protected lysine during the growing phase may improve growth performance of cattle during the growing and/or finishing phase, leading to improvement in greater carcass weights.
The full research report is available. Hazlewood, K. J.; Grant, M. S.; Blasi, D. A.; Ducharme, G. A.; and Titgemeyer, E. C. (2022) “Effect of Ruminally-Protected Lysine Supplementation to Growing Cattle on Growth and Subsequent Finishing Performance,” Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports: Vol. 8: Iss. 1. https://doi.org/10.4148/2378-5977.8235
