EN
Maintenance and feeding systems employed for cattle in the first year of life are related to accepted slaughter age. The results obtained during a number of experiments showed a possibility to gain in Poland slaughter animals for veal production both from dairy calves and weaned beef sucklers. Fattening prolongation of dairy calves up to 120 kg of body weight, compared to the animals slaughtered usually at 80 kg, allowed to receive significantly heavier carcasses and better conformed rounds (the most valuable bovine primal cut). Prolongation of limousine beef sucklers' fattening with cows on pasture up to the age of 8 months, as being permitted for this category, allowed reaching body weight above 300 kg. Thus, determination of the date of calving of beef cows in a late winter and early spring period (Feb-Mar) and in the end of pasture season (Oct-Nov) may result in obtaining slaughter raw material of high quality i.e. calf carcasses the weight of which is 170-200 kg.