Producción de leche en vacas primíparas y crecimiento de los terneros en las razas Angus, Braford, Brangus y Hereford en pastoreo

The aim of the study was to evaluate milk production and composition and its effect on calf growth for Angus, Brangus, Braford and Hereford breeds. The work was carried out at the Estancia "La Magdalena" belonging to the firm "Los Tordos SA", located in the department of Salto - Uruguay.

The field survey was carried out from March 2023 until the end of August of the same year and it is important to point out that all the animals were under the same conditions during the experiment.

We used 24 primiparous cows born in the spring of 2020 of the following breeds: Aberdeen Angus, Hereford, Brangus and Braford. We worked with a sample of 6 animals per genotype, with their corresponding calves of the same breed.

As far as feeding is concerned, the animals were kept on natural pasture throughout the experiment.  The farm is located on soils of relatively high natural fertility.

From calving to final weaning, the milk production of the 24 primiparous cows and the weight of the calves were measured monthly.

The results obtained show that there were no significant differences in milk production and milk composition between the breeds evaluated. Calf growth was also not significant according to breed.