The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of finishing systems for grazing
cattle in relation to feedlot, on productive performance and carcass and meat
characteristics. Four treatments were evaluated, which were arranged in a completely
randomized design, being a model in conventional feedlot, with 20% grass silage and
80% concentrate, and another three in grazing, combining the concentrate offer, with
the stocking rate, the combinations being tested: low (0.5% and 5.0), half (1.0% and
7.5) and intensive grazing termination IGT (2.0% and 15.0), respectively, supply of
concentrated, based on body weight, and stocking rate expressed in heads/hectare.
36 Nellore heifers with 277 ±30 Kg of body weight and fifteen months of age were used,
nine animals per treatment. The forage mass was not restrictive for the free
consumption of the animals during the experimental period, thus, in the IGT system
there was less forage supply with 1.35 and disappearance of 29.71% of forage mass
and 92.72% of blade leaf. It was observed that the consumption of concentrate varied
from 1.22 Kg DM/day in the low system to 4.38 Kg DM/day in the IGT system and that
this had no difference for the feedlot system. In the same way, the termination systems
influenced the average daily gain of the animals with 0.53; 0.76; 0.79 and 0.82 Kg/day,
respectively, for low, half, IGT and feedlot systems. The final live weight of the animals
did not differ between systems. The values of daily carcass gain - DCG of the IGT
animals were more than twice the low system, 0.582 and 0.254 Kg/day, respectively.
In addition to the DCG, both the subcutaneous fat thickness - SFT that ranged from
3.87 to 5.54 mm, and the carcass gain yield, which was below 58% for animals in the
low system and above 80% for the animals in the IGT and feedlot systems were altered
by the systems. However, most of the qualitative characteristics of carcass and meat
were not influenced by the termination systems. The IGT system provided the animals
with high productivity, with better utilization of area, matching the feedlot system,
without affecting most of the qualitative characteristics of the carcass and meat of
heifers.
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