Comportamiento productivo de la ganadería bovina de carne con tres métodos de pastoreos.

Abstract

The present investigation was developed in the Río Suma experimental farm, of the University “Laica Eloy Alfaro" of Manabí, Ext El Carmen. The objective was to determine the productive behavior of beef cattle with three grazing methods. Twelve zebu breed castrated steers 5/8 Brahman and 3/8 Brown Swiss were used in the fattening period with an average weight of 475 pounds, distributed according to a completely random design with three treatments and four repetitions. The treatments evaluated were T1 (intensive), T2 (extensive) and T3 (semi-intensive). The variables evaluated were feed consumption, weight gain, feed conversion and financial analysis based on the three grazing systems. The diet was based on chopped Megathyrsus maximus grass and 4 animals remained in the stable, 4 grazing and 4 half a day in the stable and the other hours grazing. The results reported that there were no statistically significant differences between the treatments where T1 presented the highest average with a forage intake of 48.13 lb/day, unlike the extensive treatment (47.53 lb/day) and the semi-intensive one (47.03 lb/day). T3 expressed the less feed conversion (4.3), the less consumption and higher weight gain (86,75 lb), these results indicated that T3 was the best treatment at feed conversion but financially there was not utility; by the way T2 presented USD 0.03 of utility.