TERMINAÇÃO DE BOVINOS BRANGUS INTEIROS E CASTRADOS COM CANA-DEAÇÚCAR (SACCHARUM OFFICINARUM) OU SILAGEM DE CAPIM MOMBAÇA (PANICUM MAXIMUM CV MOMBAÇA)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the intake, weight gain, feed:gain ratio, carcass quality and economic viability of using fresh sugar cane and mombaça grass silage in Brangus castrated and intact males on termination. We used 140 Brangus cattle, with an average of 21 months and 355 kg live weight, identified and randomly assigned to treatments: T1, 37 intac males and T2, 37 castrated animals receiving both fresh sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum ) crushed;T3, 33 intact males and T4, 33 castrated animals, both fed mombaça grass silage (Panicum maximum cv mombaça). For economic evaluation, it was estimated the production costs of bulky coming from the farm costs, expenses concentrates, diesel, hand labor, equipment maintenance and control of 46 Colloquium Agrariae, v. 10, n.1, Jan-Jun. 2014, p.45-54. DOI: 10.5747/ca.2014.v10.n1.a099 parasites were also considered. The final weight of the entire animal was higher (P <0.05) than castrated animals. And feed conversion was higher in castrated animals, indicating that the bulls were more efficient in converting food into weight gain. The higher net revenue observed in intact males (mombaça) is justified by the greater weight gain and lower diet costs. Animals that received diet with mombaça grass silage had greater economic feasibility of that received diet with sugar cane.

Keywords

• cattle
• confinement
• weight gain
• feed:gain ratio
• economic viability