Raramuri Criollo (RC) steers are commonly raised for beef and finished on rangelands, while Corriente (CR) are often raised for rodeo sports. However, no data exist on weight gains and grazing behavior of rangeland-raised Criollo steers. An experiment was conducted in the Chihuahuan Desert using two cohorts of RC and CR to investigate the effects of biotype on growth performance and landscape utilization. Twenty-two 17-month (cohort 1) steers [10 RC (RC1) and 12 CR (CR1)] were weighed every 60 d between December 2015 and January 2017 and eighteen 8-month (cohort 2) steers [11 RC (RC2) and 7 CR (CR2)] were weighed every 60 d between December 2015 and August 2017 to determine individual body weight (WT), average daily gain (ADG), and body condition score (BCS). Nine steers from each cohort were monitored with Lotek 3300LR GPS collars at 5-min intervals during December 2015 and December 2016, respectively, to compare landscape utilization patterns of 5 RC and 4 CR individuals. Data were analyzed as repeated measures using mixed procedures of SAS. Separate analyses were conducted per age cohort. For cohort 1, ADG was greater (P= 0.03) for RC1 than CR1 (0.18 vs 0.13 � 0.09 kg). For cohort 2, ADG was greater (P= 0.01) for CR2 than RC2 (0.22 vs 0.12 � 0.10 kg). Moreover, BCS was not affected (P> 0.58) for either cohort. Distance traveled daily by cohort 1 was not affected (P>0.81) by biotype, but CR2 walked farther during day and night than RC2 (P<0.01). CR1 followed more sinuous trajectories than RC1 counterparts from dusk to midnight (P<0.01). CR2 followed more sinuous movement trajectories than RC2 at night (P<0.01). Although some behavioral differences were found, these results imply that at a young age, CR grow faster than RC, but at an older age RC grow faster than CR.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.