North Florida Experiment Station
 Quincy, Florida
 January 26, 1966

North Florida Station Mimeo Report 66-5

 GROUND SNAPPED VERSUS GROUND SHELLED CORN WITH DIFFERENT
 ROUGHAGES AND WITH CITRUS PULP IN STEER FATTENING RATIONS

 by F. S. Baker, Jr.1

 SUMMARY

 With citrus molasses, steers fed ground snapped corn gained faster, had heavier
carcasses, and had a higher net return than cattle fed ground shelled corn-cottonseed hulls
Ground snapped corn cost $34.82, ground shelled corn $48.11, and cottonseed hulls $23.85
per ton (no mixing or milling charges).

 Without citrus molasses, steers fed ground shelled corn-cottonseed hulls gained faster
with slightly heavier carcasses and slightly higher net return than those fed ground snapped
corn.

 Cattle fed ground shelled corn with self-fed grass hay consumed less roughage than with
rations that had the roughage mixed with the grain. The ground shelled corn-hay ration with
no molasses gave the best steer performance and highest net return of any ration in the
trial.

 Adding a level of 30 percent citrus pulp to a ground shelled conn-cottonseed hull
mixture resulted in similar gains, carcass weights, and net returns as with comparable
rations without the pulp. With the citrus pulp ration, results were somewhat better where
no citrus molasses was fed .

 Average results of two trials show little difference in steer performance or carcass
weight from feeding either ground snapped corn or ground shelled corn-cottonseed hulls,
with or without citrus molasses, as the source of energy. With per ton costs of $44.28 for
ground snapped corn, $58.16 for ground shelled corn, $30.12 for cottonseed hulls, and $24.00
for citrus molasses, net returns were higher with the ground snapped corn and the citrus
molasses rations. Mixing and milling charges of $7.00 per ton are included in costs of the
corn and the cottonseed hulls.

 INTRODUCTION

 In previous trials ground snapped and ground shelled corn with various roughages have
 been compared as energy sources in cattle finishing rations2j Feedlot performance dnd
 carcass characteristics were similar from feeding the gtdrnd snapped corn rationst in Which
 cob and shuck furnished all the roughage, and ground shelled corn rations with cottonseed
 hulls as roughage. With approximate prices of $40.00 per ton for ground snapped corn,
 $55.00 for ground shelled corn, and $22.50 for cottonseed hulls, net returns were higher
 from the ground snapped corn rations. Adding $24.00 per ton citrus molasses to either
 ground snapped or ground shelled corn-cottonseed hull rations did not greatly affect results.
 Feeding a ground shelled corn ration with self-fed grass hay as roughage resulted in lower
 roughage intake, but similar net return, than mixing cottonseed hulls as roughage with the
 grain. Further comparisons of ground snapped and ground shelled corn rations with various
 roughages are needed.


 1Animal Husbandman, North Florida Experiment Station, Quincy.
 2NFES Mimeo Rpt. 66-1, August 7, 1965.