Ad libitum versus restricted feeding of barley- and corn-based feedlot diets

A 2 × 2 factorially designed experiment in which barley or corn grains were fed ad libitum or at 96% ad libitum to 100 steers was conducted to test the hypothesis that type of grain fed would affect any responses in feed conversion efficiency obtained by restricting intake. Feed restriction resulted in a 22% reduction (P = 0.01) in fat cover but the numerical improvement in feed conversion efficiency of 3% was not significant (P = 0.32). Grain type had no detectable influence on feed-lot performance. Key words: Ad libitum, restricted feeding, steers, barley, corn, feedlot