The mean carcass weight of 505,005 bovines, slaughtered at Minas Gerais State, Brazil, from January to December 1997, was 222.31kg. The bovines, belonging to seven categories, had the following mean carcass weights: bull 235.58kg, old bullock 236.31kg, intermediate bullock 235.32kg, bullock 237.64kg, cow 176.90kg, old heifer 176.86kg and heifer 148.60kg. Regarding hot carcass, mean weight of each two close classes such as old bullocks, intermediate bullocks and bullocks were compared. Cows and old heifers were also compared. Bullocks, when compared to intermediate bullocks, always presented significant higher carcass, mean weight (P<0.05). In all other comparisons, no uniformity concerning weights was observed since carcass mean weights were significantly higher in some months, significantly lower in other months, and sometimes no significant difference was found (P>0.05). Seventy three percent of these bovines were four-year-old or over. Concerning age and weight at slaughter, no qualitative progress in cattle breeding in the State of Minas Gerais was observed.
Bovine; slaughtered weight; carcass; Brazil
