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Effect of breed type, sex, method of rearing, winter nutrition and subsequent grazing treatment on lifetime performance and carcass composition in a 20-month beef system: carcass characteristics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2016

C. E. Hinks ,
E. A. Hunter ,
B. G. Lowman  and
N. A. Scott
C. E. Hinks
Affiliation:
University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JB
E. A. Hunter
Affiliation:
Biomathematics & Statistics Scotland, King’s Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ
B. G. Lowman
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, Edinburgh, King’s Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JB
N. A. Scott
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, Edinburgh, King’s Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JB
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Abstract

In a lifetime study of spring-born cattle in a 20-month beef system the effects of production factors on carcass characteristics were examined using 302 serially slaughtered animals born in three consecutive years. A multifactorial design was used with three animal factors — maturity (early maturing Hereford crosses v. late maturing Charolais crosses), sex (heifer v. steer) and method of rearing (suckled calves v. bucket-reared calves). After an initial rearing period, feeding treatments were imposed during the subsequent winter period, followed by the imposition of two sward heights (low 6 to 8 cm and high 8 to 10 cm) during the subsequent grazing season. An initial representative group of 16 cattle was slaughtered at the start of the grazing season and most of the remaining cattle were subsequently slaughtered off grass at three randomly allocated slaughter times, on average 67, 110 and 154 days post turn-out. Interactions between the main production factors were not significant with the exception of slaughter date with winter feeding levels for fat in rib joint and weight of saleable meat, and slaughter date and sex for live weight, carcass weight and weight of saleable meat. Breed type, sex and method of rearing affected the weight of saleable meat off grass by 14·7, 14·8 and 5·6 kg respectively. The influence of the winter feeding treatments on the weight of saleable meat was small by the time the final group were slaughtered. Sward height had a transient effect on weight, condition and carcass composition, the effects becoming less evident as the grazing season progressed. The effect of delaying slaughter had the largest and most significant influence on carcass composition of all the production factors studied, although changes in body composition between slaughter dates were relatively slow.

Keywords

beef cattlecarcass compositionconformationlive weightnutrition
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 69 , Issue 3 , December 1999 , pp. 465 - 472
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1999

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