Breeds
Cattle are classified according to their maturity type. Early maturing types start depositing fat at an earlier age and can be market-ready at a live mass of 380 to 400 kg. Late maturing types can reach market readiness at a live mass of 500 kg or more. As a rule, dual-purpose breeds are late maturing types with high growth rates and require a longer feeding period. The British beef breeds, excluding the Sussex which is medium to late maturing, are generally early maturing and although their growth rates are relatively lower, they need a shorter feeding period to reach a good carcass finish. Indicus cattle can do well in feedlots, but problems with temperament and with laminitis can occur.
In practice, most cattle entering feedlots are crossbreeds. There has been a recent trend among producers to breed larger cattle, within breeds that were normally early maturing cattle, to achieve late-maturing types.
Breeds such as the Nguni are regarded as inferior by feedlots, as calves do not grow and fatten at the rate of crossbreeds.
The maturity types of different breeds of beef cattle are summarised as follows:
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Frame Score |
Maturity Type |
Breed |
Frame Score Range |
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1 |
Dexter |
1 to 2 |
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Nguni |
1 to 2 |
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Early 1-2 |
Angus |
1 to 3 |
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Potfontein Rooies |
1 to 3 |
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Afrikaner |
1 to 3 |
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2 |
Herefords |
2 to 4 |
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Rietvlei Reds |
2 to 4 |
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Shorthorn |
2 to 4 |
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Sussex |
3 to 5 |
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3 |
Symonds |
3 to 5 |
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Smythe |
3 to 5 |
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Bonsmara |
3 to 5 |
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Bongihlati |
3 to 5 |
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Brangus |
3 to 5 |
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Medium 3-5 |
Brahman |
3 to 5 |
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4 |
Braford |
3 to 5 |
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Tauricus |
3 to 5 |
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Beefmaster |
3 to 5 |
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5 |
Limousin |
4 to 6 |
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Drakensberger |
3 to 5 |
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Santa Gertrudis |
3 to 5 |
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Simbra |
3 to 5 |
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South Devon |
3 to 5 |
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6 |
Simmentaller |
3 to 5 |
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Late 6-7 |
Gelbvieh |
3 to 5 |
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Pinzgauer |
5 to 7 |
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7 |
Charolais |
5 to 7 |
Sex
Heifers mature earlier than steers and steers, in turn, mature earlier than bulls. Bulls perform well in a feedlot but can cause problems by fighting. Females in feedlots often have poor growth rates partly because they reach carcass finish at an earlier age and there is a tendency to be tardy in sending them for slaughter. Disruptions caused by females coming on heat should also be considered.
Age
Animals can be placed in the feedlot at any age – in practice usually shortly after weaning (7 to 9 months of age), as yearlings (12 to 18 months of age), or at two and a half years of age. In most feedlots, there is no differentiation in feeding regimes between animals of different ages and it has been found that irrespective of age, animals tend to gain about 150 kg and are then ready for slaughter. Cattle placed on high energy rations at an early age tend to deposit fat more rapidly than if they are kept on low energy diets for a time before being placed on high-energy rations.
At times of emergency caused by food shortages, e.g. drought, the question is often asked whether cows and calves should be separated before entry to the feedlot. In fact, the best practice is to place the cow in the feedlot with her calf. As the cow reaches carcass finish, the calf will have started eating concentrate. The dam can be removed from the feedlot and the calf remains until it is ready for slaughter.
Irrespective of breed, sex or age, a proportion of animals (usually about 10%) do not adapt to feedlotting. It is best to cull these animals as soon as possible. They can be identified by their poor performance in the initial stages of feeding.
Age plays an important role in the decision to feedlot because the meat of young animals is most tender. To determine how old an animal is, one looks at the number of permanent teeth it has. In South Africa, cattle and small stock are sorted into the following four age groups:
A: No permanent incisors
AB: One or two (1-2) permanent incisors
B: Three to six (3-6) permanent incisors
C: More than six permanent incisors
Based on the general consumer demands and preferences, the ideal age group of slaughter stock is A, AB, and B grades.
Weight
The weight range depends on the age of feeders and can vary between 159 – 454 Kg.
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Age Type |
Weight Average |
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Calves (< 1-year) |
159-204 kg |
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Yearlings (1-2 years) |
249-318 kg |
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Older Feeders (> 2 years) |
363-454 kg |
South African Beef standards and grading system
The Agricultural Product Standards Act 1990, (Act No. 119 of 1990), together with the Meat Safety Act (Act No. 40 of 2000), provides measures to maintain essential national qualification standards and promote meat safety at the same time.
The main purpose of the Agricultural Standards Act of 1990 is to divide a heterogeneous product into homogenous categories (classes) based on their characteristics, for the following reasons:
- To make it possible to buy by description instead of inspection
- To facilitate the price-forming process and price reporting
- To form the basis of marketing communication
- To ensure that a safe product is made available to the consumer in an orderly fashion
Quality and value are determined by the following physical characteristics of the animal to be marketed:
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Fatness
The fatness of beef, (mutton/lamb or goat) carcasses is judged visually on the carcass. Usually, carcasses with more fat are juicier and have more flavour to the meat than very thin or lean carcasses. The carcass is divided into a hindquarter, middle section, and forequarter.
Beef carcass division
- If an animal has very little or no fat, the meat is called very lean and falls under codes 0 to 1
- When the animals are not too lean or not too fat, the meat falls under codes 2,3,4
- As soon as the animal carries too much fat, the meat will be classified under code 5 (slightly over fat) and code 6 (excessively or very fat)
Conformation
Conformation is the way the carcass looks and describes the ratio between meat and bone. This is important when one selects animals for the market, for example, to supply the right size of retail cuts. The customer usually prefers to buy cuts of codes 3 to 5.
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Damage
Cattle bruised during handling or transportation can lose the producer a great deal of money. The extent of damage to the meat will depend on the location and depth of the injury.
Damage is classed as follows:
- Slightly disturbed = damage Class 1
- Moderately disturbed = damage Class 2
- Severely disturbed = damage Class 3
Sex
Male castrated animals (Steers) usually obtain higher prices than bull carcasses. Steers are normally more available to feedlots and the abattoir because heifers are kept as replacement females. Old cattle are normally sent straight to the abattoir and slaughtered as C grade meat.
Disease
A feature of crowded accommodation is the rapid spread of disease. Apart from the better-known cattle diseases that can appear in feedlots, there are several diseases associated with feedlotting. A feedlot manager needs to be aware of the potential danger of these diseases, especially infectious diseases such as IBR which can spread through a feedlot at a rapid rate, and even if mortalities are relatively low, profits are eroded by depressed animal performance. Sick animals should not be marketed, and such carcasses are normally condemned and destroyed.