Abstract:
An experiment was conducted to examine the relative postweaning growth and carcass characteristics of Hereford and first-cross Angus x Hereford steers at 21 months of age. Twenty steers of each type were bred from Hereford cows calving in autumn (March) and weaned in December 1981 at9 months of age. Thereafter, the 2 groups were grazed separately and set-stocked at 1.64 or 2.73 steers/ha until t he following January, at 21 months of age. The experiment was repeated using the same design for the982 calves but with groups interchanging paddocks at the start.The breed types did not differ significantly in liveweight gain (for 1982 and 1983, respectively, Herefords gained 138 and 202 kg, and Angus x Herefords 139 and 217 kg) or in carcass characteristics in either year. Herbage mass was very similar in the paddocks grazed by the 2 groups (e.g. at the end of the first and second years grazing, respectively, pasture mass was 1.7 and 3.2 t/ha for Herefords, and 1.7 and 2.8 t/ha for Angus x Herefords). There were no differences between the breed types for digestibility and intake of pasture, or in body composition. 1 These results show that no penalty is incurred in the growth and carcass composition of steer progeny if Hereford cows are crossed with Angus bulls.