Flavomycin effects on performance of beef bulls and nutrient digestibility in wethers

For 28 weeks a feeding experiment was conducted to determine the effects of dietary flavomycin on performance of beef bulls. In the first and second half of the trial, 40 animals (average initial weight 352 kg) had free access to corn silage or beet pulp, respectively, both supplemented with an appropriate concentrate containing 0 or 10 mg/kg of the antibiotic. Daily flavomycin intake was 39 to 46 mg when the animals were on the corn silage diet and 51 to 54 mg when they were fed the beet pulp diet. The animals fed the corn silage-based diet supplemented with flavomycin showed a non-significant improvement of daily gain (1.4%) and feed conversion (2.3%). When the beet pulp-based diet was fed, flavomycin significantly increased daily gain (15.2%, P less than 0.002) and feed conversion efficiency (9.1%, P less than 0.03). For the overall feeding experiment the positive effect of flavomycin feeding was 6.7% on body weight gain (P less than 0.09) and 5.2% on feed conversion (P less than 0.13). Flavomycin did not affect carcass yield of beef bulls. Also the effect of flavomycin on diet digestibility was studied in wethers fed a mixture of beet pulp and concentrate, containing 0 or 10 ppm flavomycin. No significant effect from the antibiotic on digestion of dry matter, crude protein, fibre, fat, ash and N-free extract was observed.