Purdue University Agricultural Experiment Station Lafayette, Indiana
Mimeo AS-267 March 1, 1960 (final)
THE VALUE OF FEEDING ENZYME PREPARATIONS TO FATTENING BEEF CATTLE
W. M. Beeson, T. W. Perry and E. D. Purkhiser Department of Animal Science
The role of supplemental sources of enzymes in ruminant nutrition has not attracted either much attention or interest among research workers until very recently. In the past it did not seem plausible that the functional rumen of the cow or sheep could possibly use supplemental sources of enzymes advantageously when one considered the complex systems of microfloral and microfaunal digestion the ruminant has at its disposal*
However, very recent research findings concerned with feeding enzyme preparations along with a predominantly barley ration to poultry (Jensen, L. S., R. E# Fry, J# B# Allred and James McGinnis, 1957, Poul. Sci. 36 (4): 919) has focused the attention of research workers on the subject of supplemental enzymes for other species of farm animals and has opened up a whole new area of research#
The research reported in this mimeograph had the following objectives:
1# To test the value of feeding enzyme preparations to fattening beef cattle.
2# To compare enzymes from four sources.
3.	To compare two levels of one enzyme preparation.
4.	To test the value of feeding an antibiotic (oleandomycin) with or without the enzymes.
Experimental Plan
Trial I—Drylot—(February 26 to October 14, 1959—230 days). Twenty-eight yearling steers and heifers were divided into two lots of 14 each on the basis of liveweight, sex and apparent thrift. A fattening ration consisting of 15 pound silage, a full-feed of shelled corn, 2 pounds Purdue Supplement A and free-choice minerals was fed. One lot served as the control and received the fattening ration indicated, whereas in the second lot 0.0075 pounds of enzyme preparation was fed per head daily (Agrozyme, Merck) in addition to the fattening ration.
Trial II—Drylot—(May 20 to September 14, 1959—117 days). Seventy-one yearling Hereford steers were subjected to a fattening ration consisting of 15-20 lb. corn silage, a full-feed of shelled corn, 2 lb. Purdue Supplement A and free-choice minerals. A factorial experiment was superimposed on the 12 lots of six steers each to (l) compare four different sources of enzyme preparations, (2) compare two levels of feeding of one enzyme preparation and (3) to determine the effect of feeding the antibiotic oleandomycin. The treatments were as follows:
The research reported in this mimeograph was supported in part by grants-in-aid from Miles Chemical Company, Clifton, New Jersey and Merck and Company, Rahway, New Jersey.
Enzyme preparations were supplied by Miles Chemical Company, Clifton, New Jersey: Merck and Company, Rahway, New Jersey and Pabst Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Oleandomycin was furnished by Chas. Pfizer and Company, Terre Haute, Indiana.