The characteristics of carcasses and non carcass components of calves fed after weaning until slaughter with high moisture grains silage or dry ground grains of corn or sorghum was evaluated, for production of pink meat veal. Thirty Holstein calves were allotted to a complete randomized blocks experimental design with five blocks and six concentrate rations with similar contents of protein (18.5% CP) and energy (3.2 Mcal ME/kg DM), formulated with dry ground corn (GC), high moisture corn silage (HMCS), dry ground sorghum with tannin (GSWT), high moisture whole sorghum with tannin silage (HMWSWTS), dry ground sorghum without tannin (GSWTT) or high moisture whole sorghum without tannin silage (HMWSWTTS). The animals were raised in collective plots until reaching the fixed weight for slaughter (170 ± 10 kg BW). No treatment effects were observed on weights of carcass, cuts and non carcass components and dressing of hot and cold carcass, hindquarter and other cuts. Treatment effect was observed only on forequarter dressing, that was higher for animals fed HMWSWTTS as compared to those fed GC or GSWT. All evaluated feeds could be used in concentrate rations for calves after weaning, because they do not impair the characteristics of carcass and non carcass components and confer similar results.
carcass dressing; non-special-fed veal; organs weights
