Alternative finishing strategies for Holstein-Friesian bulls slaughtered at 15 months of age

Abstract

The aim was to establish the optimum finishing strategy (FS) for dairy bulls slaughtered at 15 months. Sixty springborn calves were assigned to one of four FS. The FS were split into two phases; pasture (PAS) from mid-August to housing (P1) and finished indoors on concentrates ad libitum plus straw for 209 d (P2). Treatment 1 (T1) was offered PAS in P1 and 800 g kg-1 barley (BAR), 140 g kg-1 soya bean meal (SBM), 40 g kg-1 molasses and 20 g kg-1 minerals (B) in P2. Treatments 2 (T2) and 3 (T3) were offered 3 kg dry matter (DM) of B per head daily at PAS. In P2, T2 was offered B while T3 was offered 400 g kg-1 BAR, 400 g kg-1 maize meal, 140 g kg-1 SBM, 40 g kg-1 molasses and 20 g kg-1 minerals (BM). In P1 treatment 4 (T4) was offered 3 kg DM of BM per head daily at PAS and 750 g kg-1 BAR, 140 g kg-1 SBM, 50 g kg-1 rumen protected fat, 40 g kg-1 molasses and 20 g kg-1 minerals in P2. Finishing strategy did not affect lifetime average daily gain or carcass conformation. Fat score tended (p=0.0514) to be greater for T3 than T1 and T4.