peer-reviewedCrossbreeding Holstein Friesian dairy cows with both early and late maturing beef
breed bulls is common in Ireland. This study concerned the comparison of spring-born
Holstein Friesian (HF), Aberdeen Angus × Holstein Friesian (AA) and Belgian Blue ×
Holstein Friesian (BB) steers slaughtered directly off pasture in the autumn or following a
period of concentrate finishing indoors. Male calves (18 per breed type) were reared together
until August of their second year when they were assigned to a 3 (breed type) × 3 (finishing
strategy) factorial experiment. The three finishing strategies were (i) pasture only for
94 days to slaughter (PE), (ii) concentrate ad libitum indoors for 94 days to slaughter (CE),
and (iii) pasture only for 94 days followed by concentrate ad libitum indoors for 98 days to
slaughter (PC). For HF, AA, and BB, mean carcass weight, carcass conformation score and
carcass fat score values were 275, 284 and 301 (s.e. 5.1) kg, 1.75, 2.42 and 2.89 (s.e. 0.11),
and 2.48, 2.89 and 2.17 (s.e. 0.11), respectively. Pasture alone supported live-weight and
carcass-weight gains of approximately 800 g/day and 400 g/day, respectively. Live-weight
and carcass-weight gains on concentrate ad libitum were approximately 1400 and 870 g/day,
respectively. For PE, CE and PC, mean carcass weight, carcass conformation score and
carcass fat score values were 244, 287 and 329 (s.e. 5.1) kg, 1.81, 2.56 and 2.69 (s.e. 0.11),
and 1.83, 2.71 and 3.01 (s.e. 0.11), respectively. It is concluded that none of the breed types
reached an acceptable carcass weight on PE and only HF had acceptable carcass finish. All
breed types were acceptably finished on both concentrate finishing strategies
