Feeding strategies in the growing and your effects on finishing cattle Nelore

• Grant number: 13/16699-3
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: October 01, 2013 - September 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal Investigator: Flávio Dutra de Resende
• Grantee: Flávio Dutra de Resende
• Host Institution: Departamento de Descentralização do Desenvolvimento (APTA Regional). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Gustavo Rezende Siqueira ; Ricardo Andrade Reis

Abstract

This experiment will be conducted in the Pólo Regional da Alta Mogiana, em Colina - SP, research unit of Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios - APTA, aiming to assess the impact of nutritional strategies for growing and finishing on biological efficiency of beef cattle Nellore. The trial period will be from July 2013 to September 2014 and will be divided into three phases. Phases I and II are related to post weaning stage, being held in Marandu grass pastures while phase III will be related to the finishing of the animals and will also be conducted on pasture. At beginning and end of each phase the slaughter of animals representative of the treatments will be carried out aiming to study the components of animal weight gain and body changes promoted. A total of 75 post-weaning Nellore calves, with approximately eight months of age, will be used. Of those, 40 will be used for evaluation of animal performance throughout the experimental period and 35 will be slaughtered during the experiment. 12 rumen cannulated animals will also be used to evaluate intake, passage rate, and ruminal pH and ammonia concentration. In the present study forage qualitative and quantitative factors, liveweight gain per animal and per hectare, yields, gain and carcass traits, meat softness and the effect of supplementation in one stage on the next stages will be evaluated, seeking to prove or not, the existence of compensatory growth. Data will be analyzed in a factorial randomized block design using the SAS 9.0 statistical package (2002). (AU)