Revista Brasileira de Milho e Sorgo (Dec 2007)
FEEDLOT PERFORMANCE OF STEERS FED WITH SILAGES OF CORN AND OF SORGHUMASSOCIATED WITH THREE LEVELS OF CONCENTRATE
Abstract
The experiment was conducted at the Núcleo de Produção Animal (NUPRAN)of the Universidade Estadual do Centro Oeste do Paraná (UNICENTRO). The trial aimed to evaluate the feedlot performance of steers fed with silages of corn (Zea mays) and of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) associated with three levels of concentrate: two roughages (corn silage and sorghum silage) and three levels of concentrate (0.8, 1.0 and 1.2% of live weight). 36 Charolais steers were used with eight months of age and initial average weight of 266 kg were used. The corn silage diet resulted higher weight gain and better feed conversion for compared of sorghum silage for confined beef cattle. The sorghum silage diet when associated 1.2% of live weight of concentrate did not presented energetic limit for similar dry matter intake and weight gain corn silage diet.