Abstract

CARRIQUIRY, E.J.; FERNANDEZ, J.A.  and  YANEZ, E.A.. Influencia del peso vivo y la alimentación sobre el desempeño de terneros en su primer invierno. Rev. vet. [online]. 2016, vol.27, n.1, pp.14-20. ISSN 1669-6840.

In order to assess the change in body weight gain (BWG) due to the effects of winter feeding strategy and the influence of initial BW, 600 young calves were included in a study in a farm in Florida, Uruguay. Animals were grouped in a complete random design with factorial arrangement, according to the mean initial BW (86, 114 and 160 kg) and 5 diets: 2 energy levels, low and high (2.23 and 2.54 Mcal/kg DM), and 2 fiber sources, sorghum and moha hay, in confined animals; and grazing plus high-energy supplementation (T5). Daily BWG were from 300 to 600 g/day and 600 to 800 g/day for low and high energy diets, respectively. Body condition at the end of the winter was 5.2 and 4.9; the conversion efficiency was 7.7 and 11.1 for treatments of high and low energy, respectively, and there was interaction between initial weight and nutritional level. The confinement of animals determined a tighter performance compared to those supplemented with natural grass with strong forage limitations. The proportion of fiber used (NDF 36.7 y 47.5%) was important to determine the BWG in confinement. With high energy diets, conversion efficiency was higher in lighter animals compared to heavier animals; this confirms the greater sensitivity of lighter animals to the type of diet used in the assay. Fiber sources did not cause differences for the assessed variables. Supplementation during grazing and confinement proved to be alternatives for improving the traditional performance of young calves in their first winter, allowing animals to obtain the necessary BWG for the next stages of the production system

Keywords : calf; nutrition; feedlot; grazing; liveweight gain.

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