Estratégias de suplementação em pastos diferidos para bovinos de corte em terminação

Abstract

The performance, profitability, and carcass characteristics of finishing cattle fed supplements containing sodium chloride or mineral mixture in their composition on deferred pasture were evaluated. The experimental design was completely randomized, using 24 animals, with a mean initial body weight of 437.78 kg, non-castrated, crossbred, without defined blood degree, with phenotypic characteristics predominantly of the Nellore breed. The animals were randomly distributed in six treatments, with 4 repetitions, and consisted of offering of different supplements ad libitum, under pasture conditions: Common Salt (SC); Mineral Mixture (MM); Urea Associated with common Salt (USC); Urea Associated with the Mineral Mixture (UMM); Multiple Supplement with Common Salt (SMSC); Multiple Supplement with Mineral Mixture (SMMM). The Multiple Supplements containing Mineral Mixture (SMMM) in the formulation provide greater gain in total weight and mean gain in body weight in cattle supplemented in pastures of buffel grass cv. Aridus and adropogon grass cv. Planaltina, compared to treatments with Multiple Supplements containing Common Salt (SMSC), urea associated with the mineral mixture (UMM) and common salt (SC). The ponderal performance of animals fed with different types of supplements does not imply profitability of the treatments used, with benefit-cost index values negative and close. With the exception of the USC treatment in relation to the UMM and SMSC treatments, in which total compensatory growth, there is no manifestation of this phenomenon among the other treatments in the post-supplementation period (rainy period). There is no residual effect of treatments during the dry period of the year on the carcass characteristics of cattle slaughtered after 168 days of rainy period.