The objective of the experiment was to evaluate, through feedlot performance of calves, three corn hybrids (Zea mays, L.): Agroceres AG-5011, Braskalb XL-344 and Cargill C-806. For the evaluation, 27 Nellore x Charolais non-castrated crossbred males with average age of 10 months and average initial weight of 252 kg, were used. The animals were fed during 84 days, divided in four periods of 21 days. The hybrids silages tested represented 70% of the dry matter offered. No significant interaction of corn hybrids with evaluation period was observed for the different parameters. The diet that included the AG-5011, resulted in higher voluntary dry matter intake expressed per 100 kg of live weight and metabolic size, and higher average daily intake of ADF expressed in the different forms, in relation to XL-344 and C-806, which were similar to each other. The diets that included the AG-5011, XL-344 and C-806 silages showed similar dry matter intakes expressed as kg/animal/day (6.73; 6.05; and 6.19), NDF expressed as kg/animal/day (3.054; 2.837; and 2.836) and digestible energy expressed in the different forms, average daily weight gain (1.283; 1.219; and 1.249 kg), gain in body condition, feed conversion (5.26; 4.98; and 4.97) and energy efficiency (14.02; 13.68; and 13.21). The three hybrids are indicated as very good genetic materials for silage production, resulting in weight gain above 1.2 kg/animal/day when fed diets with roughage:concentrate ratio of 70:30.
body condition; cattle; daily weight gain; dry matter intake; energy efficiency; feed conversion
