Rearing practices in each life period of beef heifers can be used to influence the carcass characteristics

Figures & data

Table 1. Rearing practices data collected during the farm surveys by life period.

Life period	Quantitative information	Qualitative information (modalities)
Common for the three periods	Stage duration, d	Pasture use (Y/N)
	Pasture duration, d	Stored forage distribution in stall (Y/N)
	Pasture proportion, %	Stored forage distribution at pasture (Y/N)
		Concentrate distribution in stall (Y/N)
		Concentrate distribution at pasture (Y/N)
		Minerals or vitamins distribution (Y/N)
		Vaccination (Y/N)
		Internal antiparasitic treatment (Y/N)
		External antiparasitic treatment (Y/N)
Suckling period	Age at weaning, d	Calving season (winter/spring/summer/autumn)
		Dehorning (Y/N)
		Suckling method (accompanied/free/both)^a
Growth period	Age at the beginning of the period, d	Maize silage distribution (Y/N)
	Cumulative concentrate offered, kg/heifer
	Daily concentrate offered in stall, kg/heifer/day
	Daily concentrate offered at pasture, kg/heifer/day
Fattening period	Age at the beginning of the period, d	Slaughter season (winter/spring/summer/autumn)
	Age at slaughter, d
	Cumulative concentrate offered, kg/heifer
	Daily concentrate offered in stall, kg/heifer/day
	Daily concentrate offered at pasture, kg/heifer/day

(Y/N): yes or no.

^aAccompanied: the farmer led the calves to their mothers twice daily for suckling; free: the calves were always with their mothers and suckled ad libitum; both: both methods were used.

Table 2. Rearing practices of the animal groups (n = 61) by period of life. Except other indication, presentation of the results as a number of groups with in brackets the % of each modality of the variable.

	Suckling period	Growth period	Fattening period
Duration, d (minimum–maximum)	244.0 (110.0–323.0)	488.0 (303.0–823.0)	198.0 (56.0–437.0)
Rearing place, number, %
Pasture and stall	58.0 (95.1)	61.0 (100.0)	22.0 (36.1)
Pasture	2.0 (3.3)	0.0	3.0 (4.9)
Stall	1.0 (1.6)	0.0	36.0 (59.0)
Pasture duration, %	65.0	50.0	24.0
Forage distribution in stall, number, %
Hay	55.0 (90.2)	60.0 (98.4)	56.0 (91.8)
Maize silage	0.0	6.0 (9.8)	0.0
Haylage	2.0 (3.3)	22.0 (36.1)	20.0 (32.8)
Grass silage	0.0	27.0 (44.3)	19.0 (31.1)
Straw	1.0 (1.6)	3.0 (4.9)	4.0 (6.6)
Forage distribution at pasture, number, %
Hay	0.0	14.0 (23.0)	8.0 (13.1)
Maize silage	0.0	0.0	0.0
Haylage	0.0	7.0 (11.5)	0.0
Grass silage	0.0	0.0	0.0
Straw	0.0	0.0	3.0 (4.9)
Concentrate distribution in stall, number, %
Straw cereals	3.0 (4.9)	29.0 (47.5)	33.0 (54.1)
Meals	1.0 (1.6)	17.0 (27.9)	25.0 (41.0)
By-products	1.0 (1.6)	4.0 (6.6)	4.0 (6.6)
Complete feed	35.0 (57.4)	24.0 (39.4)	34.0 (55.7)
Mash	1.0 (1.6)	0.0	3.0 (4.9)
Concentrate distribution at pasture, number, %
Straw cereals	6.0 (9.8)	16.0 (26.2)	7.0 (11.5)
Meals	2.0 (3.3)	8.0 (13.1)	7.0 (11.5)
By-products	1.0 (1.6)	2.0 (3.3)	2.0 (3.3)
Complete feed	8.0 (13.1)	15.0 (24.6)	18.0 (29.5)
Mash	0.0	2.0 (3.3)	4.0 (6.6)
Minerals or vitamins distribution, number, %	39.0 (63.9)	45.0 (73.8)	30.0 (49.2)
Vaccination, number, %	52.0 (85.2)	26.0 (42.6)	10.0 (16.4)
Antiparasitic treatment, number, %
Internal	44.0 (72.1)	56.0 (91.8)	38.0 (62.3)
External	35.0 (57.4)	42.0 (68.9)	29.0 (47.5)

Table 3. Carcass characteristics (n = 636).

	Mean	Minimum	Maximum	SD
Slaughter age, mo	30.500	24.500	42.500	3.571
Cold carcass weight, kg	402.000	310.000	566.000	34.980
Fat score, /5	2.990	2.000	3.000	0.087
Conformation score, /15	11.200	8.000	15.000	0.877
Carcass per EUROP conformation class
Class	Number		%
E+	1.000		0.200
E=	1.000		0.200
E−	24.000		3.800
U+	216.000		34.000
U=	237.000		37.300
U−	147.000		23.100
R+	9.000		1.400
R=	1.000		0.200
R−	0.000		0.000
O+	0.000		0.000
O=	0.000		0.000
O−	0.000		0.000
P+	0.000		0.000
P=	0.000		0.000
P−	0.000		0.000

Table 4. Rearing practices by cluster taken as characterising the suckling period (SUC) and carcass characteristics. Except other indication, presentation of the results as a number of groups with in brackets the % of each modality of the variable.

	SUC1	SUC2	SUC3	SEMc	p-valued
Rearing practices
Number of animal per group	7.00	45.00	9.00
Age at weaning, d	245.00^a	253.00^a	200.00^b	5.11	***
Calving season, number, %					***
Winter	1.00 (14.30)	45.00 (100.00)	1.00 (11.10)
Spring	0.00	0.00	8.00 (88.90)
Summer	0.00	0.00	0.00
Autumn	6.00 (85.70)	0.00	0.00
Dehorning, number, %	2.00 (28.60)	21.00 (46.70)	5.00 (55.60)		ns
Suckling method, number, %					ns
Accompanied	1.00 (14.30)	16.00 (35.60)	5.00 (55.60)
Free	1.00 (14.30)	14.00 (31.10)	3.00 (33.30)
Both	5.00 (71.40)	15.00 (33.30)	1.00 (11.10)
Pasture duration, d	97.00^b	167.00^a	173.00^a	5.15	***
Pasture duration, %	35.00^c	67.00^b	82.00a	2.48	***
Stored grass distribution, number, %
Stall	7.00 (100.00)	43.00 (95.60)	5.00 (55.60)		**
Pasture	0.00	1.00 (2.20)	0.00		*
Concentrate distribution, number, %
Stall	7.00 (100.00)	28.00 (62.20)	2.00 (22.20)		***
Pasture	1.00 (14.30)	8.00 (17.80)	1.00 (11.10)		**
Minerals or vitamins distribution, number, %	2.00 (28.60)	32.00 (71.10)	5.00 (55.60)		+
Vaccination	4.00 (57.10)	41.00 (91.10)	7.00 (77.80)		*
Antiparasitic treatment, number, %
External	3.00 (42.90)	27.00 (60.00)	5.00 (55.60)		ns
Internal	3.00 (42.90)	34.00 (75.60)	7.00 (77.80)		ns
Carcass characteristics
Number of carcasses	68.00	497.00	71.00
Cold carcass weight, kg	404.00^ab	404.00^a	391.00^b	1.53	*
Fat score, /5	3.00	2.99	3.00	0.00	ns
Conformation score, /15	11.50^a	11.20^b	10.90^c	0.04	***
Carcasses per EUROP conformation class (number, %)					**
E+	0.00	1.00 (0.20)	0.00
E=	0.00	1.00 (0.20)	0.00
E−	3.00 (4.40)	18.00 (3.60)	3.00 (4.20)
U+	33.00 (48.50)	166.00 (33.40)	17.00 (23.90)
U=	24.00 (35.30)	188.00 (37.80)	25.00 (35.20)
U−	8.00 (11.80)	118.00 (23.70)	21.00 (29.60)
R+	0.00	4.00 (0.80)	5.00 (7.00)
R=	0.00	1.00 (0.20)	0.00

^a,bWithin a row means without a common superscript are different.

^cStandard error of mean.

^d+p < .1, *p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .0001, ns not significant.

Table 5. Rearing practices by cluster taken as characterising the growth period (GRO) and carcass characteristics. Except other indication, presentation of the results as a number of groups with in brackets the % of each modality of the variable.

	GRO1	GRO2		GRO3	GRO4	SEMc	p-valued
Rearing practices
Number of animal per group	16.00		6.00	24.00	15.00
Stage duration, d	628.00^a		446.00^b	414.00^b	474.00^b	16.40	***
Age at the beginning of growth, d	226.00		251.00	250.00	249.00	5.11	ns
Pasture duration, d	252.00^ab		190.00^b	217.00^b	275.00^a	8.93	*
Pasture duration, %	39.00 c		43.00^bc	53.00^ab	58.00^a	1.35	***
Stored grass distribution, number, %
Stall	16.00 (100.00)		6.00 (100.00)	24.00 (100.00)	15.00 (100.00)		*
Pasture	4.00 (25.00)		1.00 (16.70)	0.00	12.00 (80.00)		***
Maize silage distribution, number, %
Stall	0.00		6.00 (100.00)	0.00	0.00		***
Pasture	0.00		0.00	0.00	0.00		*
Concentrate, kg/heifer	653.00^a		147.00^ab	199.00^b	345.00^ab		*
Concentrate, kg/day/heifer
Stall	0.84^a	0.35^ab		0.46^ab	0.37^b	0.06	*
Pasture	0.15^ab	0.00^ab		0.03^b	0.33^a	0.04	**
Minerals or vitamins distribution, number, %	13.00 (81.30)	1.00 (16.70)		19.00 (79.20)	12.00 (80.00)		*
Vaccination	9.00 (56.30)	0.00		13.00 (54.20)	4.00 (26.70)		*
Antiparasitic treatment, number, %
External	12.00 (75.00)	1.00 (16.70)		16.00 (66.70)	13.00 (86.70)		*
Internal	15.00 (93.80)	5.00 (83.30)		22.00 (91.70)	14.00 (93.30)		ns
Carcass characteristics
Number of carcasses	167.00	90.00		227.00	152.00
Cold carcass weight, kg	408.00^a	398.00^ab		396.00^b	407.00^a	1.53.00	**
Fat score, /5	2.99	2.99		2.99	3.00	0.00	ns
Conformation score, /15	11.10^b	11.20^ab		11.00^b	11.40^a	0.04	***
Carcass per EUROP conformation class, number, %							**
E+	0.00	0.00		1.00 (0.40)	0.00
E=	0.00	0.00		1.00 (0.40)	0.00
E−	8.00 (4.80)	2.00 (2.20)		7.00 (3.10)	7.00 (4.60)
U+	51.00 (30.50)	32.00 (35.60)		58.00 (25.60)	75.00 (49.30)
U=	66.00 (39.50)	38.00 (42.20)		85.00 (37.40)	48.00 (31.60)
U−	38.00 (22.80)	16.00 (17.80)		72.00 (31.70)	21.00 (13.80)
R+	4.00 (2.40)	2.00 (2.20)		3.00 (1.30)	0.00
R=	0.00	0.00		0.00	1.00 (0.70)

^a,bWithin a row, means without a common superscript are different.

^cStandard error of mean.

^d*p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .0001, ns not significant.

Table 6. Rearing practices by cluster taken as characterising the fattening period (FAT) and carcass characteristics. Except other indication, presentation of the results as a number of groups with in brackets the % of each modality of the variable.

	FAT1	FAT2	SEMc	p-valued
Rearing practices
Number of animals per group	41.00	20.00
Stage duration, d	199.00	197.00	8.48	ns
Age at the beginning of fattening, d	685.00^b	836.00^a	16.20	***
Lifetime, d	884.00^b	1032.00^a	13.70	***
Slaughter season, number, %				***
Winter	2.00 (4.90)	8.00 (40.00)
Spring	20.00 (48.80)	1.00 (5.00)
Summer	16.00 (39.00)	1.00 (5.00)
Autumn	3.00 (7.30)	10.00 (50.00)
Pasture duration, d	11.00^b	121.00^a	8.91	***
Pasture duration, %	5.00^b	62.00^a	4.30	***
Stored grass distribution, number, %
Stall	41.00 (100.00)	16.00 (80.00)		**
Pasture	1.00 (2.40)	7.00 (350)		***
Concentrate, kg/heifer	1039.00	990.00		ns
Concentrate, kg/day/heifer
Stall	5.20^a	2.20^b	0.33	***
Pasture	0.17^b	3.00^a	0.23	***
Minerals or vitamins distribution, number, %	18.00 (43.90)	12.00 (60.00)		ns
Vaccination	6.00 (14.60)	4.00 (20.00)		ns
Antiparasitic treatment
External	19.00 (46.40)	10.00 (50.00)		ns
Internal	23.00 (56.10)	15.00 (75.00)		ns
Carcass characteristics
Number of carcasses	480.00	156.00
Cold carcass weight, kg	399.00^b	411.00^a	1.53	***
Fat score, /5	2.99	2.99	0.00	ns
Conformation score, /15	11.10^b	11.30^a	0.04	*
Carcass per EUROP conformation class, number, %				ns
E+	0.00	1.00 (0.60)
E=	0.00	1.00 (0.60)
E−	17.00 (3.50)	7.00 (4.50)
U+	154.00 (32.10)	62.00 (39.70)
U=	188.00 (39.20)	49.00 (31.40)
U−	113.00 (23.50)	34.00 (21.80)
R+	7.00 (1.50)	2.00 (1.30)
R=	1.00 (0.20)	0.00

^a,bWithin a row, means without a common superscript are different.

^cStandard error of mean.

^d*p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .0001, ns not significant.