Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of feeding two levels of corn silage on growth performance, carcass characteristics of subtropical calves. Fifteen Egyptian native calves (initially weighed 245.3+/-3.0 kg) were randomly divided into three equal groups as follows: group 1 (Control, C): fed Concentrate Fed Mixture (CFM) and rice straw; group 2 (50%): CFM was replaced with 50% corn and group 3 (75%); CFM was replaced with 75% corn silage on dry matter basis. Growth performance and carcass traits were investigated. Moreover, the economical partial budget analysis was calculated for feasibility. A significantly (p<0.0001) higher fattening period and lower Average Daily Gain (ADG) were found for 75% group but no significant adverse effects of this treatment on the DMI, feed conversion, final body weight and total gain. No significant effect (p>0.05) on the hot carcass weight, dressing percentage, full and empty digestive tract, non-edible parts, edible organs, boneless meat and visceral fat percentages were detected due to corn silage replacements. The partial budget analysis showed a significantly higher gross margin and benefit/cost ratio for calves from 75% when compared with the control group.