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Abstract Cattle feeders work to decrease the severity of transport stress. The objective of this experiment was to determine how the time of rest prior to processing impacts subsequent performance in feedlot heifers during the receiving period. Eighty mixed-breed heifers (250 ± 4.2 kg BW) were purchased at live auction in Oklahoma City, OK and transported to the Kansas State University Manhattan. Heifers were allotted in a completely randomized design to one of four treatments, then processed at 0, 6, 24, or 48 hours after arrival. After all cattle were processed, they were placed in individual pens, where daily DMI, refusals, and health outcomes were evaluated twice daily. Cattle were individually weighed on d 0, 14, and 35. Data were analyzed using the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS (v. 9.4, Cary, NC). Time of processing did not impact (P 0.10) heifer body weight or ADG. Overall, there was a linear inverse relationship between DMI and time at rest (P = 0.027) from d 0 to 14. The same pattern was observed overall, from d 0 to 35 (P = 0.027). Time of rest prior to processing impacted (P = 0.038) the proportion of heifers that reached a target of 2.5% DMI per BW by 14 days after arrival (25, 60, 53, and 24% of cattle with 0, 6, 24, or 48 hours of rest, respectively). While G:F and morbidity did not differ among treatments (P 0.10), mortality increased linearly (P = 0.026) with increasing time of rest. This study suggests that allowing feedlot heifers to rest after arrival for more than 24 hours before processing may negatively affect subsequent DMI, but without substantially altering body weight or ADG in calves fed in individual pens; additional research in traditional feedlot group-housed pens and environment is warranted to further evaluate these effects.
Buessing et al. (Mon,) studied this question.