ABSTRACT The use of animals from dairy farms is an alternative to meat production since it provides an increment of total income for farmers. This study aims to evaluate the performance of Holstein calves finished in two feeding systems (feedlot or pasture). Forty-three animals with 58 days old and 57 kg were divided in two treatments: 23 animals finished in feedlot with corn silage plus concentrate based on corn and soybean meal (40:60); 20 animals kept in cultivated pastures according to the period of the year: Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) and pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum) with supplementation with the same feedlot-concentrate at 1% body weight. Animals were slaughtered with 200 kg. Dry matter and nutrient intake were determined, with the use of chromium oxide for estimating pasture intake. Feedlot animals had greater total intake and total digestible nutrients, resulting in higher average daily gain (0.949 vs 0.694 kg day-1). Crude protein intake, neutral detergent fiber and feed conversion did not show significant differences. Holstein calves have improved performance when finished in feedlot.

O trabalho foi realizado com o objetivo de verificar a produção de massa e teores nutritivos de espécies forrageiras de estação fria, utilizando pastagens de aveia preta (Avena strigosa) e aveia branca (Avena sativa) consorciadas com azevém (Lolium multiflorum) e ervilhaca comum (Vicia sativa L.). As espécies foram consorciadas conforme os tratamentos: Aveia Preta com Azevém (AVP+AZ); Aveia Branca com Azevém (AVB+AZ); Aveia Preta com Ervilhaca (AVP+E); Aveia Branca com Ervilhaca (AVB+E); Aveia Preta, Azevém e Ervilhaca (AVP+AZ+E) e Aveia Branca com Azevém e Ervilhaca (AVB+AZ+E). Foram avaliados a massa total de forragem de cada espécie e os teores de proteína bruta, fibra em detergente neutro e o coeficiente de digestibilidade "in vitro" da matéria seca. Os resultados indicam que a produção de forragem das aveias foi maior no início das avaliações e de azevém e ervilhaca no período final. Foram maiores os teores de proteína bruta e fibra em detergente neutro no início do experimento para todos os tratamentos avaliados, sendo que os que continham ervilhaca consorciada com aveia apresentaram aumento desses teores no período final pela presença exclusiva de ervilhaca que possui ciclo mais tardio.

The work was carried out to assess mass production and nutritional content of winter forages using lopsided oat (Avena strigosa) and white oat (Avena sativa) intercropped with ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) and vetch (Vicia sativa L.). The species were intercropped as the following treatments: lopsided oat with ryegrass (LO+RG); white oat with ryegrass (CO+RG); lopsided oat with vetch (LO+V); white oat with vetch (CO+V); lopsided oat, vetch and ryegrass (LO+RG+V); and white oat, ryegrass and vetch (CO+RG+V). The study evaluated total forage mass production of each intercropping and crude protein levels, neutral detergent fiber and in vitro digestibility coefficient of dry matter. The results indicate that forage yield of oats was higher in early assessments, and ryegrass and vetch were higher in the final evaluation period. The crude protein levels and neutral detergent fiber were higher at the start of the experiment for all evaluated treatments, and those including vetch intercropped with oats showed an increase in these parameters in the final period due to the presence of vetch, which has a more delayed cycle.