Finishing of beef cattle on pasture supplemented with wet brewery residue associated with the use of organic modifier and ivermectin

Abstract

The use of dietary supplement in livestock is an alternative to reduce both production costs and time of slaughter of animals in the finishing phase. In addition, organic and anti-parasitic pacemakers are used together with the purpose to enhance animal growth and reduce losses due to parasitism. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the supplementation with wet brewery residues (WBR) associated with the use of organic modifier and ivermectin for the finishing of beef cattle on pasture. A total of 40 uncastrated steers, averaging 24 months old and 444.6 kg in weight were utilized. The animals were divided in eight treatments (2 × 2 × 2 factorial): animals supplemented or not with 10 kg of WBR, with or without application of organic modifier, with or without application of ivermectin 3.15 g. The animals were kept on 40 ha of Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu, managed in rotational stocking. Animals weighing, feces collection and forage sampling were performed every 28 days. There was an interaction effect on the average daily weight gain, with 1.326 kg/animal/d for supplemented and dewormed animals compared to 1.099 kg/animal/d for the non-supplemented and dewormed ones. The effect of ivermectin use on the weight gain of animals was greater in the first 30 days of the experimental period. The use of organic modifier did not affect the weight gain of animals.