Performance of beef steers on Smuts finger grass and Nile grass pasture in northern Natal 2. Feedlot performance following summe

In a previous trial, weaner steers were wintered at one of three growth rates (0, 0.3 and 0.6 kg/day) after which they grazed either Smuts finger grass (Digitaria eriantha spp eriantha) or Nile grass (Acroceras macrum) pastures, each at one of three stocking rates (6, 8 and 10 steers/ha) over the summer grazing period. In the present trial, the eighteen-month-old steers originating from that trial were subjected to four different feedlotting systems. The feeding regimes comprised a farmers` mix (FM), feeding with beef pellets and whole maize (BPM), feeding finisher feed with milled hay (FFH), and a complete feed (TR). Steers were fed to a set target mass. Average daily gains of 1.859 ± 0.056, 1.799 ± 0.091, 2.119 ± 0.067 and 1.981 ± 0.042 were measured for the FM, BPM, FFH and TR treatments, respectively. No relationship between the preceding wintering levels, summer stocking rates or summer pasture on the one hand and feedlot growth rates or mass gain on the other hand were found.