Behavior, performance and carcass yield of steers with different comfort conditioning during the fattening period
Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the behavior and performance of steers in two different housing areas (10 vs. 100 m2/animal) and two feeding models (daily supply vs. self-feeding) during the fattening period. Materials and methods: Forty-eight Hereford steers with initial live weigh...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Ediciones Universidad de Camagüey
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Revista de Producción Animal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://rpa.reduc.edu.cu/index.php/rpa/article/view/e4584 |
| _version_ | 1797384208255025152 |
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| author | María Eugenia Munilla Juan Sebastián Vittone Andrea Biolatto Sonia Alejandra Romera Gustavo Adolfo Teira |
| author_facet | María Eugenia Munilla Juan Sebastián Vittone Andrea Biolatto Sonia Alejandra Romera Gustavo Adolfo Teira |
| author_sort | María Eugenia Munilla |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the behavior and performance of steers in two different housing areas (10 vs. 100 m2/animal) and two feeding models (daily supply vs. self-feeding) during the fattening period. Materials and methods: Forty-eight Hereford steers with initial live weight (LW): 214,0 kg were housed under four treatments: 100DS (100 m2/animal and daily supply), 100SF (100 m2/animal and self-feeding), 10DS (10 m2/animal and daily supply), 10SF (10 m2/animal and self-feeding) until reaching a final LW of 370 – 390 kg. Behavior was recorded by observation. Dry matter intake (DMI) and average daily gain (ADG) were recorded to estimate feed conversion ratio (FCR). Back fat thickness (BFT) and Longissimus muscle area (LMA) were measured. Steers were sent to a commercial abattoir to evaluate carcass yield. Results: The frequency of rest and walking was higher in steers in the largest housing area. Self-feeding contributed to the intake distribution during the day. No differences were detected in DMI, ADG and FCR. However, the confined animals (10DS and 10SF) produced more BFT and less LMA. In addition, they had less carcass yield at slaughter. Conclusions: Therefore, a larger housing area and the self-feeding model could contribute to express steers’ natural behavior and improve their performance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T21:32:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4c58eb51d9d64f52abe3aa7871e3ba6c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0258-6010 2224-7920 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T21:32:06Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Ediciones Universidad de Camagüey |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revista de Producción Animal |
| spelling | doaj.art-4c58eb51d9d64f52abe3aa7871e3ba6c2023-12-21T05:08:17ZengEdiciones Universidad de CamagüeyRevista de Producción Animal0258-60102224-79202023-12-01353Behavior, performance and carcass yield of steers with different comfort conditioning during the fattening periodMaría Eugenia Munilla 0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8407-7659Juan Sebastián Vittone 1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0559-1877Andrea Biolatto 2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8127-9899Sonia Alejandra Romera 3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3966-9399Gustavo Adolfo Teira 4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2635-2579Departamento de Rumiantes, Estación Experimental Agropecuaria, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Ruta Provincial 39 km 143.5, Concepción del Uruguay (CP 3260), Entre Ríos, Argentina.Departamento de Rumiantes, Estación Experimental Agropecuaria, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Ruta Provincial 39 km 143.5, Concepción del Uruguay (CP 3260), Entre Ríos, Argentina.Departamento de Rumiantes, Estación Experimental Agropecuaria, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Ruta Provincial 39 km 143.5, Concepción del Uruguay (CP 3260), Entre Ríos, Argentina.Instituto de Virología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Nicolás Repetto y de los Reseros s/n. (CP: 1686) Hurlingham, Buenos Aires, Argentina y Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Argentina.Laboratorio de Industrias Cárnicas, Universidad Nacional of Entre Ríos, Monseñor Tavella 1424 (CP: 3200), Concordia, Entre Ríos, Argentina.Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the behavior and performance of steers in two different housing areas (10 vs. 100 m2/animal) and two feeding models (daily supply vs. self-feeding) during the fattening period. Materials and methods: Forty-eight Hereford steers with initial live weight (LW): 214,0 kg were housed under four treatments: 100DS (100 m2/animal and daily supply), 100SF (100 m2/animal and self-feeding), 10DS (10 m2/animal and daily supply), 10SF (10 m2/animal and self-feeding) until reaching a final LW of 370 – 390 kg. Behavior was recorded by observation. Dry matter intake (DMI) and average daily gain (ADG) were recorded to estimate feed conversion ratio (FCR). Back fat thickness (BFT) and Longissimus muscle area (LMA) were measured. Steers were sent to a commercial abattoir to evaluate carcass yield. Results: The frequency of rest and walking was higher in steers in the largest housing area. Self-feeding contributed to the intake distribution during the day. No differences were detected in DMI, ADG and FCR. However, the confined animals (10DS and 10SF) produced more BFT and less LMA. In addition, they had less carcass yield at slaughter. Conclusions: Therefore, a larger housing area and the self-feeding model could contribute to express steers’ natural behavior and improve their performance. https://rpa.reduc.edu.cu/index.php/rpa/article/view/e4584animal welfarecattlefeedlothousing areafeeding |
| spellingShingle | María Eugenia Munilla Juan Sebastián Vittone Andrea Biolatto Sonia Alejandra Romera Gustavo Adolfo Teira Behavior, performance and carcass yield of steers with different comfort conditioning during the fattening period Revista de Producción Animal animal welfare cattle feedlot housing area feeding |
| title | Behavior, performance and carcass yield of steers with different comfort conditioning during the fattening period |
| title_full | Behavior, performance and carcass yield of steers with different comfort conditioning during the fattening period |
| title_fullStr | Behavior, performance and carcass yield of steers with different comfort conditioning during the fattening period |
| title_full_unstemmed | Behavior, performance and carcass yield of steers with different comfort conditioning during the fattening period |
| title_short | Behavior, performance and carcass yield of steers with different comfort conditioning during the fattening period |
| title_sort | behavior performance and carcass yield of steers with different comfort conditioning during the fattening period |
| topic | animal welfare cattle feedlot housing area feeding |
| url | https://rpa.reduc.edu.cu/index.php/rpa/article/view/e4584 |
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