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. 2024 Mar 1;14(5):779.
doi: 10.3390/ani14050779.

Effects of Early Weaning on Performance and Carcass Quality of Nellore Young Bulls

Gabriela Abitante  1 , Paulo Roberto Leme  1 , Matheus Sousa de Paula Carlis  1 , Germán Darío Ramírez-Zamudio  1 , Bianca Izabelly Pereira Gomes  1 , Luiza Budasz de Andrade  1 , Rodrigo Silva Goulart  1 , Guilherme Pugliesi  2 , Arlindo Saran Netto  1 , Carl Robertson Dahlen  3 , Saulo Luz Silva  1
Affiliations

Effects of Early Weaning on Performance and Carcass Quality of Nellore Young Bulls

Gabriela Abitante et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

This study compared early weaning (EW; 150 days) with conventional weaning (CW; 240 days) in Nellore young bulls, evaluating performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality. A total of 74 non-castrated male calves were divided into two weaning strategies: EW (n = 37) and CW (n = 37). During the growth phase, which lasted 454 ± 14 d for EW calves and 359 ± 16 d for CW calves, animals received a protein-energy supplement at a ratio of 5 g per kg of body weight while grazing Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu. The animals were managed for an 87d finishing phase in three collective feedlot pens, with a 3-week adaptation protocol, starting with corn silage to a concentrate ratio of 55:45 and reaching a ratio of 30:70 in the final diet. Body weight, average daily gain (ADG), dry matter intake (DMI), feed efficiency (FE), carcass characteristics, and meat quality were evaluated. The EW group was approximately 44 kg lighter than the CW at the time of conventional weaning (p < 0.001). However, this weight difference did not influence ADG, DMI, and FE in the finishing phase. No significant differences were observed in carcass characteristics such as yield percentage, loin area, subcutaneous fat thickness, and meat quality, except for the weight of primal cuts, which was greater in the CW group (p < 0.001). Thus, although calves weaned early are lighter throughout subsequent production phases than those weaned conventionally, performance, efficiency, carcass yield, and meat quality are not affected.

Keywords: animal nutrition; beef cattle; beef production; feeding system; meat quality.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Experimental design of Nellore calves subjected to early weaning (EW; 150 days) or conventional weaning (CW; 240 days).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Body weight during the growing phase of calves subjected to early weaning (150 days) or conventional weaning (240 days). * Treatment means differ by student t test (p < 0.001).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Ultrasound measurements during the finishing phase of calves subjected to early weaning (150 days) or conventional weaning (240 days). * Treatment means differ by student t test (p < 0.001).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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