ABSTRACT
EVALUATION OF TWO FEEDING SCHEMES FOR VEAL PRODUCTION

Marisol González Y.1, Joaquín García E.2 y Juan Cortés T.3
 

Twelve Holstein-Friesian male calves, five days old, were used for veal production. They were allotted at random to the following treatments: I. Fresh whole milk for 12 weeks. II. Fresh whole milk for 12 weeks + growth concentrate from the 9th week on. All animals were slaughtered at 12 weeks old, and hot and cold carcasses were measured.
Average daily gains and feed efficiency on both treatments were very similar. Similar values for final fulllive weight and starved live weight were obtained, but there was a difference in starved percentage (P = 0.01). No differences were observed in hot carcass weight nor in dressing percentage. Liver weight was significantly larger in treatment I (P = 0.05).
Cold carcass weight, eye muscle area, width and depth measurements of eye muscle were very similar in both treatments, but the top carcass fat depth was significantly higher in treatment I (P = 0.01).
There was a tendency to a decline with age in blood haemoglobin and also in packed cell volume and plasmatic protein levels.

Keywords:
1Ing. Agr., Programa Producción de Leche, Estación Experimental La Platina, Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA), Casilla 5427, Santiago, Chile.
2Méd. Vet., Programa Producción de Leche, Estación Experimental La Platina, Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA), Casilla 5427, Santiago, Chile.
3Téc. Agr., Programa Producción de Leche, Estación Experimental La Platina, Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA), Casilla 5427, Santiago, Chile.