Performance of genotypes of steers for slaughter at fourteen months, produced by females of two years

Abstract

The objective of the experiment was to study the feedlot performance of Hereford (H), ½ Jersey (J) ½ H and 5/8 H 3/8 Nellore (N) steers, produced by females bred at 14 months of age, confined from weaning to slaughter at 14 months of age when they reached average carcass weight of 195 kg. The roughage:concentrate ratio was 70:30 at the beginning and declined to 40:60 at the end of the trial. The roughages used were sorghum silage, chopped sugar cane and oats hay. Daily dry matter and digestible energy intake of the three genetic groups were similar, but the ½ J ½ H showed higher dry matter intake per 100 kg of live weight than the H and 5/8 H 3/8 N. No significant difference for average daily weight gain occurred during the 193 days feedlot period. Food efficiency, expressed in Mcal of digestible energy and kilograms of dry matter, per kilogram of weight gain also did not differ among the genetic groups.