Effect of hexoestrol on the response of finishing steers to treatment with trenbolone acetate

The relative effectiveness of implanting 300 mg trenbolone acetate alone or in combination with either 15, 30 or 45 mg hexoestrol was studied in three 90-day experiments using 64 Friesian steers. In experiment 1 hexoestrol was shown to improve live-weight gain and efficiency of feed conversion in steers implanted with trenbolone acetate. In experiments 2 and 3 trenbolone acetate in combination with 30 mg hexoestrol gave a better growth response than when combined with either 15 or 45 mg. However, in experiment 3 trenbolone acetate plus 15 mg hexoestrol was shown to improve live-weight gain by about 36 per cent compared with untreated controls. In experiment 2 small differences between treated groups in mean values for plasma urea, serum albumin, plasma glucose and free fatty acids were recorded.