The experiment was carried out to evaluate forage intake, performance and ingestive behavior of beef heifers. Productive, structural and chemical characteristics of the pasture were also evaluated. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement, with three pasture systems (Alexandergrass [Urochloa plantaginea Link.] with and without supplement to heifers and Coastcross [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.]) and two phenological stages: vegetative and flowering. The grazing method was put-and-take stocking. Grazing, ruminating and idle activities, feeding stations, […]

The objective of this work was to evaluate the fecal excretion profile and the short term bias of the external markers chromic oxide and titanium dioxide and the internal markers indigestible dry matter (iDM), indigestible neutral detergent fiber (iNDF) and indigestible acid detergent fiber (iADF) in a digestion trial with cattle fed different diets. Fourteen F1 Red Angus × Nellore bulls averaging 12 months old and 287 kg were kept in individual stalls. The animals were fed elephant grass silage, […]

It was studied performance, behavior and forage ingestion by beef heifers on pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke) and Alexander grass (Urochloa plantaginea) pastures from January to April 2008. The continuous grazing method with a variable number of animals was used. Forage ingestion was estimated during vegetative and reproductive stage of forage plants using chromic oxide as fecal production marker. Evaluations of behavior were carried out by visual observation in four 24-hour continuous periods. Mean values of forage mass, forage […]

The objective of this work was to estimate the total recovering and the long term bias of the estimates of fecal excretion using the external markers chromic oxide and titanium dioxide and internal markers indigestible dry matter (iDM), indigestible neutral detergent fiber (iNDF) and indigestible acid detergent fiber (iADF) in a digestion assay with cattle fed different diets. Fourteen F1 Red Angus x Nellore averaging 12 months and 287 kg were used. The animals were fed with elephant grass silage, […]

An experiment was conducted to define a protocol to determine metabolizable nutrient and energy values of diets. The metabolizability (M) was calculated of the dry matter (DM); crude protein (CP); gross energy (GE) and AMEn of a single diet. Eighty-one 21-day old (d) male birds were used. The tested methodologies were: Cr2O3 (0.5%) as an indicator (partial collection) or Fe2O3 (1%) as a marker; fasting (0, 4, 6 and 8 h) prior to excreta collection and at the end of […]

The objective of this study was to determine the biases in estimating fecal excretion from the internal markers indigestible dry matter (DMi), indigestible neutral detergent fiber (NDFi) and indigestible acid detergent fiber (ADFi) and the external marker chromic oxide (Cr2O3) in a digestion trial with ruminants. Five crossbred Holstein-Zebu castrated males with 240 kg average weight were used. The research consisted of three twelve-day experimental periods, from which the first six days were assigned to animal adaptation. The animals were […]

The coefficients of apparent (CADP) and true (CTDP) digestibility of phosphorus of eleven plant feed of vegetal origins commonly used in swine feeds were determined in this research. Seventy eight crossbred barrows were distributed to completely randomized experimental design, with a factorial arrangement 2 × 2 × 13 (methodology × phase × treatment) with three replicates per treatment. The digestibility coefficients were evaluated by using simultaneously both methodologies, total fecal collection and fecal marker (Cr2O3), in two production periods, growing […]

Methodological advances are usually a direct consequence of conceptual and technical advances. In the case of animal intake on pasture, recent conceptual advances regarding the process of searching and apprehension of the forage by the ruminant provide insight regarding the importance of the basic unit of intake, the bite, and the importance of processes limiting intake that occur before the forage reaches the rumen. Applying a reductionist approach to the grazing process, along with its spatial-temporal hierarchy, brought a new […]

Four Santa Gertrudis young bulls fitted with ruminal and duodenal cannula were randomly assigned to a 4 x 4 Latin square to compare ruminal, intestinal, and total tract digestibility of nutrients estimated by the internal marker indigestible acid detergent fiber (IADF) or by the external marker chromic oxide (Cr2O3). Animals were fed palisadegrass hay (Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu) and concentrates formulated to allow daily body weight gain of 0.5 and 1 kg and potential of microbial fermentation of 9.5 and […]

This work was carried out to evaluate the digestibility, using Cr2O3 and indigestible neutral detergent fiber (INDF), as markers, and also the degradability using ground ear corn (GEC). Six treatments were used in a factorial design, with three milling degrees (3/8″, 9/16″ and 3/4″) of ground ear corn and peanut meal or corn gluten feed as protein sources. The milling degrees of ground ear corn did not have effect on pH, N-NH3 , digestibility (dry matter – DM, crude protein […]