Performance of Braford steers grazing on cultivated pastures and fed or not fed an energy supplement

This experiment evaluated the performance of 84 Braford steers grazing on summer and winter cultivated pastures fed or not fed an energy-protein supplement. Steers were 10 months old and weighed, on average, 165 kg at the beginning of the trial. Steers grazed on cultivated winter pasture, consisting...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Vaz, Ricardo Zambarda, Lobato, Jose Fernando Piva, Pacheco, Paulo Santana
Tipo de documento: artigo
Estado:Versão publicada
Data de publicação:2013
País:Brasil
Recursos:Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)
Repositório:Repositório Institucional da UFRGS
Idioma:inglês
OAI Identifier:oai:www.lume.ufrgs.br:10183/98457
Acesso em linha:http://hdl.handle.net/10183/98457
Access Level:Acceso aberto
Palavra-chave:Novilho
Pastagem
Nutricao animal
Black oats
Body condition
Body weight
Napier grass
Weight gain
Descrição
Resumo:This experiment evaluated the performance of 84 Braford steers grazing on summer and winter cultivated pastures fed or not fed an energy-protein supplement. Steers were 10 months old and weighed, on average, 165 kg at the beginning of the trial. Steers grazed on cultivated winter pasture, consisting of black oats (Avena strigosa) and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), and then on cultivated summer pasture, consisting of Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum). The following treatments were applied: SS – supplement was fed during both seasons; SN – supplement was fed only during the winter; NS – supplement was fed only during the summer; and NN – steers were not fed any supplement. Supplementation resulted in higher body weight and better body condition score (SS: 369.2 and 4.52; SN: 335.2 and 4.01; NS: 352.5 and 4.49; SS: 322.5 and 3.83). Longissimus dorsi area was larger in supplemented steers, which also presented thicker backfat when compared with those not fed any supplement (3.67 and 2.29 mm, respectively).