Performance Profile and Carcass Characteristics of Steers Fed Optaflexx

An experiment evaluated the live BW response of steers being fed Optaflexx for various durations. The design consisted of two Optaflexx levels (0 vs. 200 mg per steer daily) and two Optaflexx feeding durations (28 or 42 days immediately prior to slaughter). However, Optaflexx was started on the same day (day 151 of the feeding period). Feeding 200 mg/steer daily of Optaflexx significantly (P\u3c0.01) improved final BW, ADG, and F:G compared to controls. Feeding 200 mg /steer daily of Optaflexx provided 16.4 and 18.8 lb of added BW above controls for the 28 and 42 feeding duration, respectively, but most (approximately 87%) of this weight gain was within the first 28 days of the time that Optaflexx was fed