CONSUMO ALIMENTAR RESIDUAL AJUSTADO PARA ACABAMENTO E CARACTERÍSTICAS DE CARCAÇA DE FÊMEAS BOVINAS PRENHAS

The objective was to evaluate carcass traits of pregnant Nellore heifers classified according to their residual feed intake adjusted for fat (RFIfat) and the phenotipic associations between these variables. Data from two feed efficiency tests, with a total of 273 Nellore heifers were utilized. Feed intake was measured by using the GrowSafe feeding system, and the stepwise methodology was utilized to identify which carcass trait should be utilized to calculate feed intake. The stepwise analysis indicated that subcutaneous fat thickness should be added to calculate the estimated feed intake. Heifers were divided into three RFIfat groups. No difference (P>0.05) was detected for any of the carcass traits among RFIfat classes. Only for initial body weight, medium and significant (P<0.01) correlation was observed with carcass traits. Thus, it can be inferred that the RFIfat is a measure to identify feed efficient heifers without comprising the final carcass quality.