The experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of physical form diet (mash or pelleted) and inclusion of dehydrated egg (DEGG) up to 21 days of age on the performance and carcass characteristic of Cobb-500 strain of broiler chicks at 42 days of age. The birds with average weight of 42.94 ± 0.51 g were allotted in pens of 1.0 x 1.5 m. The experimental design was completely randomized in factorial arrangment with two levels of DEGG (0 and […]

Two experiments were carried out with the objective to evaluate the use of cassava root scrapings (CRS) for growing rabbits. In the digestibility assay, 22 rabbits with 50 days of age were distributed in a completely randomized design with two treatments and 11 replicates. Two diets were used, one as reference-diet and one test, in which CRS substituted 25% of DM reference-diet. The digestible values of the DM, CP, NDF, ADF, energy and starch (%DM), were respectively 83.84%, 1.89%, 8.34%, […]

This experiment aimed to simulate thermal-stress-environment conditions in climatic chamber during the transportation of birds to slaughterhouse to evaluate the influence of these conditions on physiological parameters and carcass conformation in broiler chickens. Thirty chicks with 42 days old were weighted and distributed to transportation crates (10 chicks by crate), and submitted to high stress conditions (35ºC and 85% RH) to simulate the transport to the slaughterhouse. At each time of exposition to the stress conditions (0, 30, 60, 90 […]

This study evaluated the effects of different dietary ratios of forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L) hay (FSH) to silk flower hay (Calotropis procera SW) (SFH) on true, biological, and retail carcass yields, carcass cooling losses, retail cut yields, tissue composition and carcass muscularity of Santa Inês lambs. Twenty-four intact male lambs were assigned to one of the following four treatments: 100:0 FSH:SFH, 66:33 FSH:SFH , 33:66 FSH:SFH, or 0:100 FSH:SFH in a completely randomized design (six animals/treatment). Animals were slaughtered […]

The objective of this trial was to evaluate the effect of feed restriction during a grazing period of 104 days (phase I) on intake, feed conversion, and digesta load as well as body weight (BW) change and weights of carcass and non-carcass components during a feedlot period (phase II) in crossbred steers. Thirty nine crossbred Holstein-Gyr steers averaging 19.3±5.1 months of age and 202.0±49.1 kg of BW at the beginning of the study were used. Animals were assigned to one […]

Forty-eight hair crossbred Santa Inês lambs (24 males and 24 females) grazing Brachiaria humidicola grass and creep fed until weaning were assigned to a completely randomized design with a 6 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments; six weaning ages: 56, 70, 84, 98, 126, and 140 days and two genders: male and female. Animals that were weaned from 56 to 98 days of age were feedlot fed until slaughter (126 days) while those weaned at 126 and 140 days were […]

The effect of increasing dietary digestible lysine levels, based on the ideal protein concept, on performance and carcass characteristics of forty barrows with high genetic potential for lean gain averaging initial and final body weights of 30.02 ± 1.38 kg and 60.44 ± 1.81 kg, respectively, was evaluated in this experiment. The animals were assigned to a randomized blocks design, with four treatments, five replicates and two animals per experimental unit. The treatments consisted of a basal diet (18.08% of […]

Forty barrows with high genetic potential for lean gain in the carcass averaging initial and final body weights of 60.43 ± 1.56 kg and 96.66 ± 3.22 kg, respectively, were used to evaluate the effect of dietary digestible lysine levels based on the ideal protein concept, on performance and carcasss characteristics. The animals were assigned to a randomized blocks design, with four treatments, five replicates and two animals per experimental unit. The treatments consisted of a basal diet formulated to […]

The objective of this trial was to evaluate the carcass traits of feedlot castrated Murrah buffaloes. Twenty castrated hornless Murrah buffaloes averaging 15 months of age and initial body weight of 207 kg were used. Animals were divided in four groups and slaughtered at 75, 100, 125 or 150 days of feedlot after an adaptation period. At slaughter, carcasses were identified, cooled for 24 hours, and weighed for calculation of yields of half carcass, hindquarter, spare ribs, forequarter, and sawcut. […]

Eighteen lambs averaging initial body weight (BW) of 15 kg were allotted to six groups of three animals (one lamb per diet) and were fed diets with following forage:concentrate ratios (F:C): 1) 40F:60C; 2) 55F:45C; or 3) 70F:30C. Lambs of each group were slaughtered when the animal fed the diet with the highest concentrate level reached 25 kg of BW. Animals were slaughtered after 16 h of fasting (feed and water). After obtaining the slaughter body weight (SBW), animals were […]