Indonesian feedlot performance comparison of Brahman and F1 Senepol steers

Summary

​This study was conducted to compare the performance of F1 Senepol x Brahman steers (F1 Senepol) to that of Brahman steers in an Indonesian feedlot. The impetus for the work was to address concerns that crossbred cattle are discriminated against by live export cattle buyers due to a perception that they do not perform as well as Brahmans in Indonesian feedlots. F1 Senepol (n=54) and Brahman (n=32) steers were fed for 121 days in the Elders feedlot near Lampung (Sumatra, Indonesia). The average daily gain over the feeding period was 0.17 kg/day higher in the F1 Senepol steers compared to Brahmans (1.71 vs 1.54 kg/day). As a result the F1 Senepols put on 21.6 kg more weight over the 121 day feeding period. As this study found that that F1 Senepol steers actually performed better than Brahmans in an Indonesian feedlot, the results should allow live export cattle buyers to purchase these types of animals (Brahman crossed with a tropically adapted Bos taurus breed) with confidence that Indonesian feedlotters will be happy with their performance.