Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2017
Several studies have investigated once-bred heifers as a means of improving the efficiency of beef production. In these studies, when compared with unbred heifers, the observed carcass effects were usually associated with simultaneous changes in several factors namely: diet composition, plane of nutrition, carcass weight and age at slaughter. The present study aimed to examine the effects of reproductive state on carcass weight and carcass composition, with bred and unbred heifers grown at equal rates of carcass gain on diets of equal composition.