Meat productivity of red steppe breed calves and castrates with moderate breeding and feeding

Meat productivity of calves and castrates of the red steppe breed under 18 months of age in 5 ages was studied: 1 day, 6 months, 9 months, 15 months, and 18 months, with the average daily live weight gain of 820 g and 775 g, grown and fattened on own feed. The calves were castrated at the age of 3 months. By the age of 18 months, the calves gained live weight of 475.2 kg, castrates - 444.25 kg, the carcass weight was 237.9 kg and 224.0 kg. The slaughter yield of calves was 50.21% to 53.63%, and that of castrates - 48.83% to 55.25%. The carcasses were dissected with extraction of muscular, adipose and bone tissues, followed by weighing on scales. The relative weight of the muscle tissue increased in carcasses of calves from the age of 1 day till the age of 6 months from 64.02% to 71.27%, and then it decreased to 67.62% in the age of 18 months. In the carcasses of 6 months old castrates, it was 71.10%, and further decreased to 64.93%. The absolute muscular tissue weight growth rate in 18 months old calves, compared to that of one day old ones was 19.29 times, fat growth rate was 142.47 times, and bones’ growth rate was 11.29 times; in castrates in the age from 6 to 18 months - 2.84 times, fat tissues - 15.33 times, and bone tissues - 2.50 times. We believe that the absolute live weight in calves and castrates by the age of 18 months has not reached the biological growth potential due to unnormalized feeding. © 2018, Pharmainfo Publications. All rights reserved.