Effects of rate of gain during winter on subsequent grazing and finishing performance

Sixty mixed British breed yearling steers (237 kg) were used each year for 2 yr to study the effects of rate of gain during the winter on subsequent pasture and finishing performance. Winter gains of .28, .38 and .50 kg/d (P less than .05) were established for the low, medium and high gain treatments, respectively. Daily gain of steers on pasture was reduced (P less than .01) 81 g for each 100-g increase in winter daily gain. No differences in BW were observed among the treatment groups after grazing summer pasture. Wintering performance did not affect finishing performance. Daily gains during the finishing period increased slightly as pasture gain decreased due to increased feed intake, but efficiency was not altered. These data suggest that within this range of ADG during the winter and under the conditions of this study, it was not beneficial to winter cattle for an ADG more than .28 kg/d.