Effects of bacterial direct-fed microbial mixtures offered to beef cattle consuming finishing diets on intake, nutrient digestibility, feeding behavior, and ruminal kinetics/fermentation profile.

Effects of bacterial direct-fed microbial (DFM) mixtures on intake, nutrient digestibility, feeding behavior, ruminal fermentation profile, and ruminal degradation kinetics of beef steers were evaluated. Crossbred Angus ruminally cannulated steers (n = 6; body weight [BW] = 520 ± 30 kg) were used in a duplicated 3 × 3 Latin square design and offered a steam-flaked corn-based finisher diet to ad libitum intake for 3, 28-d periods. Treatments were 1) Control (no DFM, lactose carrier only); 2) Treat-A (Lactobacillus animalis, Propionibacterium freudenreichii, Bacillus subtilis, and Bacillus licheniformis), at 1:1:1:3 ratio, respectively; totaling 6 × 109 CFU (50 mg)/animal-daily minimum; and 3) Treat-B, the same DFM combination, but doses at 1:1:3:1 ratio.