Desempenho e avaliação econômica de novilhos e novilhas em semiconfinamento

Abstract

The semi-confinement is an alternative to intensify the finishing of beef cattle. Considered a medium between confinement and strategic supplementation, this practice has become increasingly common due to the lower need for infrastructure compared to the first and better zootechnical performances when compared to the latter. It can still give greater flexibility to the producer when making the decision to do it or not, since most of the costs are related to the acquisition of concentrates and do not demand actions for the production of bulky food, with the exception of pasture. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of heifers and heifers of European breeds and their crosses under semiconfining termination in southern Brazil. The experiment was conducted in the municipality of Dom Pedrito, Rio Grande do Sul, and was conducted between November 2016 and April 2017. The animals used in the experiment were male and female Angus, Hereford cruzas. Being 12 males and 12 females. The animals were kept in a degraded natural field area with Annoni grass (Eragrostis planus Nees) deferred for a previous period of 90 days and supplemented with commercial ration with increasing supply from 1% to 1.4% of the weight live the animas for a period of 140 days. The experimental design was completely causalized, with each animal being considered a repetition, totaling 12 replicates per treatment. The data were tabulated in electronic spreadsheets and submitted to analysis of variance, at a level of 5% significance through the T test. The initial weight for males and females did not differ (P = 0.21). The animals, regardless of sex, presented similar weights at all weighings and had a similar weight (P = 0.89). There were also no differences between sex for the variable average daily gain (ADG), in kg animal-1 day -1 (P = 0.2148). Despite the high production costs, the termination in the semiconfining system was profitable, with steers sold at a value of R $ 2,476.98. Thus, net income was R $ 308.81 per head. Heifers were traded at R $ 2,291.33 and net income of R $ 225.51 per animal. This work under the conditions that were performed did not observe statistically significant differences between steers and heifers of European breeds for weight gain and average daily gain.