Estimates of energy requirements for maintenance and gain of Holstein x Gyr crossbred yearling bulls using comparative slaughter and respiration chambers techniques.

OSS, D. B.; MARCONDES, M. I.; MACHADO, F. S.; TOMICH, T. R.; PEREIRA, L. G. R.; CAMPOS, M. M.; CASTRO, M. M. D.; SILVA, T. E.; TRECE, A. S.; GUERRA, R. F. O.; GODINHO JR, E. C.; COSTA, G. P.; MACHADO, A. F.; LOBO, C. F.; PROVAZI, F. P.

Estimates of energy requirements for maintenance and gain of Holstein x Gyr crossbred yearling bulls using comparative slaughter and respiration chambers techniques.

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Descripción

Brazil has its own nutrient requirement system for cattle; however, information about crossbred cattle is little due to the database being constituted of zebu cattle in general. Regarding energy requirements, different techniques are available to measure the retained energy (RE) of animals and then estimate the requirements. Comparative slaughter (CS) and respiration chambers (RC) are two of them. Each one has its specific advantages and disadvantages. The CS is able to measure RE directly, but it is very laborious and precludes the use of animals of high commercial value. On the other hand, RC prevents the slaughter of animals but it precludes the use of grazing ruminants and it is very expensive. The objective of this study was to compare the estimates of energy requirements for maintenance and gain of Holstein × Gyr crossbred yearling bulls using CS and RC techniques.