Increasing levels of supplementation for crossbred steers on pasture during the dry period of the year

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of increasing concentrate supplementation levels on the intake, nutrient digestibility, and performance of crossbred steers during the dry period of the year. The experiment was developed on Princesa do Mateiro farm, in the municipality of RibeirAo do Largo, located in the southwest region of Bahia State, Brazil. Forty uncastrated male crossbred (1/2 Holstein-Zebu) steers with an average body weight (BW) of 232.55 +/- 24.97kg were distributed into four treatments in a completely randomized design with ten replicates. The animals were managed in an experimental area formed by Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu, in an intermittent grazing system. Treatments consisted of the following supplementation levels: 0.2% BW, with 60% crude protein (CP); 0.3% BW, with 40% CP; 0.4% BW, with 30% CP; and 0.5% BW, with 24% CP. The intakes of forage dry matter in kg/day and %BW and neutral detergent fiber corrected for ash and protein (NDFap) in %BW decreased linearly, whereas the intake of non-fibrous carbohydrates corrected for ash and protein in kg/day and average daily gain increased linearly. Therefore, the use of supplementation at 0.5% BW (24% crude protein) to provide gains of up to 0.500kg/day is recommended for grazing steers during the post-weaning period in the dry season of the year.