Performance and carcass traits of steers fed corn silage treated with propionic acid doses
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2025v46n6p1747Keywords:
Chemical additive, Carcass traits, Dry matter intake, Feed conversion, Dry matter digestibility, Weight gain.Abstract
The objective was to evaluate the weight gain performance, dry matter (DM) intake, apparent DM digestibility, and carcass ultrasound characteristics of beef steers fed corn silage treated with different doses of propionic acid. The experiment was conducted at the Animal Production Center (NUPRAN) of the State University of Central-West (UNICENTRO), in Guarapuava, state of Paraná, Brazil. The experimental design was completely randomized, consisting of three treatments and five repetitions, with animals fed as follows: T1 – diet with untreated corn silage (control); T2 – diet with corn silage treated with 0.03% propionic acid based on natural matter (NM); and T3 – diet with corn silage treated with 0.06% propionic acid (NM). All diets contained 45% corn silage and 55% concentrate. Using corn silage for animal feed, with the addition of propionic acid, regardless of the dose used, improved feed conversion (6.16; 6.00 kg kg⁻¹) and resulted in greater total weight gain (81.3 kg) at the end of the experiment compared to the control silage (7.00 kg kg⁻¹; 71.9 kg). Using propionic acid increased apparent DM digestibility (72.22%; 71.91%) compared to the control diet (69.15%), in addition to greater preservation of soluble carbohydrates in the treated silages and better carcass finishing. Animal behavior was also affected, with a reduction in feeding time and frequency. Consequently, animals fed treated silages spent more time ruminating (p=0.0007). Including 0.03 to 0.06% propionic acid in the diet resulted in greater final weight, improved feed conversion, greater carcass fat finishing, increased apparent DM digestibility, and better preservation of soluble carbohydrates. Furthermore, it altered the feeding behavior by reducing feeding time and frequency while increasing rumination time.
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