Purdue University Agricultural Experiment Station Lafayette, Indiana
Mimeo A.H. 139 December 7, 1954
The Effect of Oral Administration of Hormones on Growth Rate and Deposition in the Carcass of Fattening Steers.
T. W. Perry, W. M. Beeson, F. N. Andrews, and Martin Stob Department of Animal Husbandry
Studies at the Purdue Experiment Station with lambs (1948-1953) (l) (2) (3)	(4) and with cattle (1947-1954) (5) (6) have shown that the hormones
stilbestrol, dienestrol and testosterone will stimulate growth rate and increase the efficiency of feed utilization. The administration of stilbestrol or dienestrol in pellet or paste form has been accompanied by varying degrees of altered sexual behavior, mammary stimulation and pelvic changes. These side effects vary with the amount of hormone administered and time, tending in some instances to be unrecognizable at the time of slaughter and in some instances to be sufficiently pronounced as to be criticized by livestock buyers. These hormone treatments have not increased fat deposition or improved carcass quality in either steers or heifers.
Recent studies at the Iowa Station (1954) (7) have shown the oral administration of stilbestrol to result in a marked increase in rate of gain and feed efficiency and it has been reported that oral administration was without any of the undersirable side effects which have been observed with pellet implantation.
A Purdue experiment designed to study the effects of three female-like hormones, stilbestrol, dienestrol and hexestrol, when administered in the feed was conducted during the spring and summer of 1954* The purpose of the experiment was to compare the oral effectiveness of the three hormones in terms of growth rate, feed utilization, carcass quality and the estrogenic activity of the edible carcass.
Experimental Procedure
Forty 2-year-old Herford steers averaging 870 pounds liveweight were divided into four lots of ten steers, each, on the basis of liveweight and previous wintering gain. The four lots were fed a fattening ration of ground corn, ground corn cobs, 3*5 lb. Purdue Cattle Supplement A (the
J.	Animal	Science	82758.	1949*
2* J.	Animal	Science	10s602.	1951•
3» J.	Animal	Science	12sl82.	1953*
J•	Animal	Science	12gl76.	1953*
J.	Animal	Science	9^321.	1950.
Animal	Science	13s99»	1954*
7. Science 120s66.	1954.