Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of corn grain processing methods, steam-flaking and dry-rolling, on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) health in feeder lambs. Polypay wethers (n = 32; initial body weight = 29 ± 14.3 kg) were allocated to 16 pens (2 lambs/pen). Two treatments were assigned, (8 pens per treatment): 1) finishing diet with steam flaked corn (SFC) and 2) finishing diet with dry-rolled corn (DRC). Lambs were fed for 63 d, twice daily on equal proportions, at 0900 and 1700 hours. Ad libitum intake was achieved by offering 10% more feed than consumed the previous day. On d -2, lambs were vaccinated with a booster dose of clostridium perfringens types C 5.8 and 5.3 kg, respectively). Lambs receiving SFC tended to have less healthy ruminal tissue and more severe ruminal lesions compared to those receiving DRC treatment (P = 0.09; 23.1 vs 60.7% healthy rumens, and 12.4 vs 2.7% of severe rumen lesions, for SFC and DRC, respectively). No other live performance measures, carcass characteristics, or digestive health metrics were affected by dietary treatments (P ≥ 0.14). Results of this study suggest steam-flaking corn in replacement of dry-rolled corn offers no additional performance benefits and can have negative consequences on GIT health.
Schoen et al. (Wed,) studied this question.