Probiotics Improve Productive Performance and Carcass Ultrasonographic Quality of Steers under Grazing during Dry‐Water Transition Season

The aim of this study was to evaluate the probiotic effect on productive performance and carcass ultrasono-graphic quality of cross-bred steers. Ninety-four cross-breed steers with initial BW of 208.53 ± 23.56 kg were used, and distributed in a completely randomized design composed of 2 nutritional treatments, monen-sin and probiotic. The animals were weighed every 30 days, evaluated for productive performance and submitted to ultrasound evaluation of the carcass at the end of the experiment to verify development of the longissimus muscle area (LMA), subcutaneous back fat thickness in the longissimus dorsi muscle. The daily weight gain was greater in the group that received probiotics. Feed intake did not differ between groups. The animals that received probiotics obtained LMA and back fat thickness greater than the treat-ment with monensin. It can be concluded that the probiotic used in this trial provides improvements in the productive performance, helps in the digestibility of the fiber and improves the evaluated carcass character-istics.