Produção de carne de bovinos contemporâneos, machos e fêmeas, terminados em confinamento

Abstract

Economic and animal performance of feedlot beef young bulls and heifers fed finishing diets were evaluated in this trial. Twenty-eight Santa Gertrudis bovines (14 young bulls and 14 heifers) were assigned to a completely randomized design and maintained in individual pens. Diets were formulated to fulfill the weight gain requirements of finishing animals. The measured variables were affected by sex. Daily weight gain (DWG), feed conversion, carcass yield, and dry matter (DM) intake were: 1.80 and 1.22 kg/day, 5.61 and 7.18 kg DM/kg DWG, 55.61 and 52.75%, and 10.08 and 8.87 kg/day, respectively, for young bulls and heifers. Males had greater carcass yield but females showed higher proportion of beef round as well as the main commercial cuts. According to an economic analysis, the cost to produce 15 kg of carcass was R$33.95 for young bulls and R$37.02 for heifers. © 2006 Sociedade Brasileira de Zootecnia.