This study was conducted using 103 male and female lambs from the following genetic groups: purebred Santa Inês (SS) and crossbreds of Santa Inês x Texel (TS), Santa Inês x Ile de France (FS), and Santa Inês x Bergamacia (BS). Animals were slaughtered at one of the following body weights: 15, 25, 35 or 45 kg. After slaughter and cooling of the carcasses, the following cuts were made: neck, rib/flank, short ribs, loin, blade, and hindlimb. The alometric growth of […]

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of environmental temperature on performance and carcass characteristics of male broilers in the period from 22 to 42 days old. Three hundred and thirty-six male Avian Farm broilers, averaging 624 g were allotted to a randomized experimental design, with four treatments (temperatures of 16, 20, 25 and 32ºC). The treatment 1 consisted of 12 replicates and the others of 24 replicates, all with four birds per experimental unity. The treatments affected weight […]

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of pregnancy simulation (placement of 100 lead spheres in the uterus-LEAD) and ovariectomy (OVAE) on traits of carcass and meat of heifers finished in feedlot. Animals not pregnant and with intact ovary were used as the control (CTRL). Nineteen crossbred heifers (½ Nelore x ½ Red Angus) averaging 18 months of age and 257.8 kg of body weight were used. Animals were fed a diet containing (% DM): 41% of corn silage […]

One hundred and eighty male Ross 1-d chicks averaging initial weight of 43.0 ± 0.2 g were used to evaluate the effects of different environments on performance and carcass characteristics. The experiment was analyzed as a completely randomized design with three environments (thermal comfort, dry heat and wet heat), six replicates of ten birds per experimental unity reared from 1 to 49 days old. Diets and water were fed ad libitum. The temperature and relative humidity control in each environment […]

Two experiments were carried out to determine the nutritive value and to evaluate the performance of growing rabbits fed on isoenergetic diets containing high moisture sorghum silage grain with low or high tannin levels. In the digestibility assay (experiment 1), the nutritive values of silages were determined with 30 New Zealand White rabbits, 15 males and 15 females, 55 days old, allotted in a completely randomized design, with 3 treatments and 10 replications. In each treatment the each sorghum silage […]

Forty barrows from commercial hybrids averaging initial weight of 60.1 ± 1.3 kg were used in a trial to evaluate different ME levels, maintaining the digestible lysine:calorie ratio, on the performance and carcass characteristics. A randomized block experimental design with four treatments, five replicate and two animals per experimental unit was used. The treatments consisted of four ME levels (3,100, 3,230, 3,370, and 3,500 kcal/kg) with 2.41 g of digestible lysine/Mcal of EM ratio. Animals were fed until the end […]

Fourty barrows with high genetic potential for lean gain averaging initial and final body weights of 15.76 + 0.93 kg and 30.23 + 1.56 kg, respectively, were used to evaluate the effect of digestible lysine levels, using the ideal protein concept, on the performance and carcass composition. The treatments were composed of a basal diet containing 19.46% crude protein and 3,280 kcal of ME/kg, that were supplemented with different levels of HCl-L-Lysine, resulting in diets with 0.90, 1.00, 1,10, and […]

The effects of full-fat extruded soybean at different temperatures (FES) on performance of broiler chickens were evaluated in this trial. Isonutritive diets were formulated to meet broiler requirements in the growing (22 – 35 days old) and finishing (36 – 45 days old) phases. The experimental treatments consisted of four soybean extrusion temperatures (125, 130, 135 and 140ºC) with nine replicates of 30 birds. The variables investigated were: feed intake, weight gain, feed:gain ratio and carcass composition (leg yield, breast […]

Records of 844 animals of a F2 swine population were used to evaluate the association among four performance traits (litter size at birth, teat number, weight at 77 days of age, feed intake and feed:gain ratio from 77 to 105 days of age) and 17 carcass traits (slaughter age, right side carcass weight, carcass length by the Brazilian Carcass Classification Method, backfat thickness at boston shoulder area and the midline, loin depth, heart, spleen, kidney, cold right side carcass, ham, […]

Principal component analyses were applied to carcass records of 367 animals of a F2 swine population. Starting from 33 traits, 17 showed variation lower than 0.7 (eigenvalue lower than 0.7) and significant simple linear correlations with the other traits, indicating they were redundant. These results suggest the following variables to be used in future carcass studies: slaughter age; right side carcass weight; carcass length by the Brazilian Method of Carcass Classification; higher backfat thickness at boston shoulder area and in […]