Performance of stocker cattle grazing bales in winter and supplemented with wheat-based dried distillers grains plus solubles or barley grain in western Canada

Backgrounding calves during winter months in western Canada requires additional supplementation due to the cold climatic conditions. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of supplementing either wheat dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS) or barley grain in an alternative backgrounding program on steer performance and DMI when winter bale grazing in a 2-yr study. Each year, 54 crossbred steers (BW, 219.5 ± 5.3 kg) from a similar annual cohort were stratified by BW and randomly allocated to 1 of 3 replicated (n = 3) supplement treatments [3 kg/d of (1) 100% barley grain (BARL); (2) 100% wheat DDGS (WDDGS); or (3) 50% barley + 50% wheat DDGS (50:50)] during winter grazing of grass–legume bales [CP = 7.1, ADF = 44.6, TDN = 48.0 (% DM)]. Supplement strategy did not affect (P = 0.95) DMI of round bale hay. Crude protein intake was 25 and 67% greater (P = 0.01) for WDDGS steers compared with 50:50 and BARL steers, respectively. Total digestible nutrient intake was similar (P = 0.73; 6.4 kg/d) among supplement strategies. Steers fed WDDGS tended (P = 0.07) to have 5 and 11% greater ADG (0.97 kg/d), and 4 and 10% greater total gain (103 kg), than the 50:50 (99 kg) and BARL (94 kg) steers, respectively. The study results suggest a tendency for greater performance of beef steers supplemented with wheat DDGS compared with barley grain when managed in an extensive winter bale grazing system.