Teagasc (Agriculture and Food Development Authority), Ireland
Abstract
peer-reviewedIn two experiments a total of 44 steer progeny of spring-calving Charolais (C) and
Hereford × Friesian (HF) suckler cows and C sires were slaughtered at approximately
2 years of age. Following weaning they were offered silage and 1 kg of concentrate per
head daily during a 5 month winter after which they spent 7 months at pasture. In
Experiment 1, animals were given a silage/concentrate diet during a finishing period of
either 95 or 152 days. In Experiment 2, steers were offered either a daily diet of silage
plus 6 kg of concentrates or concentrates to appetite plus 5 kg of silage (fresh weight)
during the final 140-day finishing period. Following slaughter, an 8-rib pistola from
each animal was dissected. For the two experiments combined C and HF progeny had
carcass weights of 372 and 385 (s.e. 6.1) kg, proportions of carcass as pistola of 467 and
454 (s.e. 2.8) g/kg and pistola meat proportions of 676 and 642 (s.e. 5.1) g/kg, respectively.
All fat traits were lower for the C than HF progeny but there was no difference
in carcass conformation score. Increasing slaughter weight increased carcass weight
(P < 0.001), kidney plus channel fat weight (P < 0.001), and pistola fat proportion
(P < 0.001) and decreased the proportions of carcass as pistola (P < 0.05), pistola
meat (P < 0.01), and bone (P < 0.05). In conclusion, breed type had no effect on carcass
growth but the C progeny had higher meat yield than the HF. Increasing slaughter
weight increased fatness and reduced meat yield
