When feeding cattle and sheep, sometimes a relatively poor quality feed, such as grass hay, must be used. Often this forage is supplemented with high levels of corn in the diet. Supplementing such...

When feeding cattle and sheep, sometimes a relatively poor quality feed, such as grass hay, must be used. Often this forage is supplemented with high levels of corn in the diet. Supplementing such low-quality forage with high levels of corn, however, is associated with reduced forage intake and fiber digestion. In contrast, improved intake and digestion of low-quality forage has been shown in cattle whose diets are supplemented with other sources of high-quality protein and fiber, such as soybean hulls and beet pulp (the residue left from processing sugar beets to make table sugar). Accordingly, Sanson † was interested in comparing the effects of supplementing crested wheatgrass hay with corn or beet pulp in lambs. He measured several variables, including hay dry-matter intake, M, in 16 lambs fed eight different diets, D, including hay with no supplement (NS), protein supplement (PS) control (soybean), low corn supplement (PLC), medium corn supplement (PMC), high corn supplement (PHC), low beet pulp supplement (PLBP), medium beet pulp supplement (PMBP), and high beet pulp supplement (PHBP). Lambs were divided into two blocks, B, according to body weight (low and high) and then randomly assigned within each block to one of the eight supplements. (The data are in Table D-26, Appendix D.) A. Is there any evidence that the type of diet influenced the lambs’ intake of hay-based dry matter, M? B. Calculate the relative efficiency of a randomized block analysis of these data compared to a completely randomized analysis.

Table D-26