GROWTH SPECIFIC ALTERATIONS OF CARCASS QUALITY OF FATTENING CATTLE OF GERMAN SIMMENTALS .1. GROWTH-RATE OF BULLS, STEERS AND HEIFERS FED WITH DIFFERENT FEEDING INTENSITY

The growth of fattening cattle of German Simmental were studied on criteria of fattening characteristics and carcass composition. The experimental schedule considered the parameters sex, feeding intensity and slaughter weight. Bulls (n = 81), steers (n = 57) and heifers (n = 54) were fattenend and slaughtered with a live weight of 200 kg (beginning of fattening period), 350 kg, 425 kg (only heifers), 500 kg and 575 kg and 650 kg, respectively (only bulls and steers). Half on the cattle were restrictively fed maize silage and 1.0 kg concentrate (low energy level) or were ad libitum fed maize silage and 1.8 kg concentrate (high energy level) in a single feeding system. The cattle fed on low energy level reached constant mean daily gains of 870 g, independently of sex and fattening period. The cattle fed on high energy level had mean daily gains until the final live weight of 1210 g (bulls), 1028 g (steers) and 985 g (heifers), whereby the highest growth rate were always measured until a live weight of 350 kg. The food and energy intake only differed between the sexes on high energy level and in the final fattening period. The feed efficiency was significantly lower on low energy level, and impaired with raising live weight on both energy levels. Bulls showed a distinctly better feed efficiency than heifers and steers.