Bioeconomic efficiency of lamb finishing production systems

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the production performance, quantitative carcass characteristics, and economic viability of lambs of genetic group Pantaneiro finished under four production systems: 1) Stockpiled Brachiaria brizantha cv piatã pasture; 2) Consortium of sorghum intercropped with Brachiaria brizantha cv piatã; 3) Feedlot based on sorghum silage and 2% body weight energy-protein supplementation, 4) Feedlot based on sorghum silage and 4% body weight energy-protein supplementation. Were used one hundred Pantaneiro lambs with an average body weight of 17.85 ± 2.50 kg and at 70 ± 15 days of age, approximately. The average final body weight and total body weight gain of the animals finished on the consortium of sorghum intercropped with Brachiaria brizantha cv piatã were higher than those obtained with feedlot based on sorghum silage and 2% body weight energy-protein supplementation. However, when this system were compared with sorghum silage and 4% body weight energy-protein supplementation, these characteristics did not differ (P > 0.05). Hot and cold carcass weights were lower when animals were fed sorghum silage and 2% body weight energy-protein supplementation as compared with the animals finished on the other systems. The greatest hot (48.20%) and cold (45.83%) carcass yields were observed in animals finished on sorghum silage and 4% body weight energy-protein supplementation. For the carcass compactness index, animals that received sorghum silage and 4% body weight energy-protein supplementation obtained higher values than those observed for 2% of supplementation. The economic evaluation showed a great return for the finishing systems, except for sorghum silage and 4% body weight energy-protein supplementation, and concluded that finishing lambs in a crop-livestock integration system presented a higher benefit/cost ratio (1.61). Therefore, based on the conditions under which this study was conducted, the crop-livestock integration is the most viable system for finishing lambs.