V/06
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 L / North Florida Experiment Station
 Quincy, Florida
 'Iay 12, 1965

NFES Mimeo Rpt. 65-4

 FEEDLOT PERFORMANCE AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF
 BRAHMAN-EUROPEAN CROSSBRED AND HEREFORD CALVES

 F. S. Baker, Jr., A. Z. Palmer, and J. W. Carpenter1

 SIMA RY

 Despite a 207-day feeding period (27 to 50 days Longer bHan in previous trials), gains
and feed efficiency compared favorably with that in earlier tests.

 When adjusted to the same carcass yield, 1/2 Heteford-1/4 Brahman-l/4 Angus and 1/2
Shorthorn-1/2 Brahman calves g ined slightly faster than the other groups. The least gain
was made by Saita deitrudis calves, which were lighter weight initially than the other lots.
Feed efficiric was hot diosely related to rate of gain; variation in feed per 100 pounds
gain wds iot gtetia

 With exception of the 3/4 Brahman-1/4 Shorthornd, variation In individual gains was
much larger in crossbred lots than in the Herefords.

 The highest gaining 1/2 Hereford-1/4 Brahman-1/4 Angus and 1/2 Shorthorn-1/2 Brahman
lots had the highest marbling scores and carcass grades. The 1/2 Charolais-1/4 Brahman-1/4
Herefords had the highest estimated yield of closely trimmed boneless cuts.

 Highest sale prices and most favorable economic returns were from 1/2 Hereford-1/4
Brahman-1/4 Angus and 1/2 Shorthorn-1/2 Brahman calves.

 With sale prices ranging from $21.67 to $23.70 per 100 pounds on foot (carcass prices
$35.72 to $33.50), "break even" costs of feeder calves of $16.78 to $20.63 would have
allowed recovery of feed cost plus $0.10 per head daily for other expenses. Thus the margin
between feeder costs and sale prices needed to "break even" ranged from $3.07 to $4.89 per
100 pounds.

 Neither gain nor carcass gradeere affected by light liver fluke infestation. Of the
70 cattle originating in fluke areas S had live flukes in their livers at slaughter.
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 61 I REDUCTION
 \\, 'J 7
 With the exception o, the 1963 196" trial, steer calves of various Brahman-European
crosses approximately 10 ',iths of age ad weighing 550 to 650 pounds when started on feed
made very satisfactory gai or_160,days in dry lot in preceding trials2. Only half of the
calves received stilbestrol impanEts in the 1963-1964 trial, while all calves were implanted
in earlier tests. Slower gains by calves without stilbestrol was responsible for the
relatively poor performance of all groups in 1964-1964. Comparable weight Hereford calves


lAnimal Husbandman, North Florida Experiment Station, Quincy; Meat Scientist and Assistant
Meat Scientist, Animal Science Department, Gainesville, respectively.


2NFES Mimeo Rpts. 61-5, 1961; 62-10, 1962; 63-8, 1963; and 64-6, 1964.