Low Levels of Supplementation for Post-Weaning Girolando Steers on Tropical Pasture During the Dry to Rainy Season Transition

The objective of this study to evaluate the effects of two levels of concentrate supplementation (1 g/kg or 2 g/kg of body weight, BW) on the intake, apparent digestibility and performance of Girolando steers on tropical pastures during the post-weaning phase in the dry to rainy season transition. We used 20 Girolando steers (half Holstein x half Zebu), with an average initial BW of 151.15 ± 50 kg and 12 months of age. The steers grazed on <i>Urochloa brizantha</i> cv. Marandu pasture. The animals were randomly assigned supplementation with 1 g/kg of BW (SC1) or supplementation with 2 g/kg of BW (SC2) of a concentrate supplement. The forage dry matter intake (%BW), neutral detergent fiber intake (NDF) and NDF digestibility were higher (<i>p</i> < 0.05) for steers supplemented with a level of 1 g/kg of BW. Supplement intake (kg/day), non-fibrous carbohydrate (NFC) intake and NFC digestibility were higher (<i>p</i> < 0.05) for steers consuming 2 g/kg BW of the concentrated supplement. The body weight at slaughter (297 kg) and average daily gain (0.57 kg/day) were not influenced by the level of supplementation. The use of 1 g/kg BW of a concentrated supplement is recommended for post-weaning steers on tropical pastures during the dry to rainy season transition.