Performance of cattle stall-fed for beef in Malawi

Information on the initial and final weights, length of feeding period, grade of the live animal before slaughter, carcass weight and dressing percentage of 2,498 stall fed Malawi zebu (MZ) and crossbred steers from Southern Region and 2,085 steers from the Central Region of Malawi is analysed. Agricultural and household residues were the basis of the feeding system. The genetic composition of individual animals was not known; weight groups were therefore used as proxies for breed types. Final weights were significantly influenced by breed, month and year when the feeding period was started and breed by month interactions. The mean stall feeding period in the South was 188 days and the average daily gain was 0.59 kg. Steers in the Central Region were fed for 213 days and gained on average 0.50 kg per day. Breed did not exert a significant effect on weight gain. However, when daily gain was compared on the basis of metabolic body size, MZ i.e. smaller steers gained significantly more rapidly than crossbred steers. The dressing percentage of animals from both regions was 52.3%. The carcass weight of crossbred steers was higher than that of MZ steers. It is concluded that an effective fattening system can be based on locally available resources and a similar system could be suitable for other parts of the developing world.