The effect of replacing of 0; 0.33; 0.67 and 1.0 (kg/kg) of soybean meal (SBM) by undecorticated castor seed meal treated with calcium oxide (CMT – 60 g/kg) was evaluated on performance and efficiency of nutrient utilization in dairy cows. Sixteen Holstein and crossbred cows were distributed in four 4 × 4 latin squares. Animals received concentrated feed at a ratio of 1 kg for 3 kg of milk produced, in the natural matter. The diets had the same amount […]

The response of energy supplementation was evaluated on the development and reproductive performance of beef heifers on temperate grasslands. Twenty-eight Charolais × Nellore heifers, with initial average age of 18 months and initial live weight of 274.9 kg were utilized. The animals were maintained on oat + ryegrass pasture and distributed in the following treatments: no supplementation (NS): heifers kept exclusively on pasture; MEG: supplementation with protected fat Megalac®; BRM: supplementation with brown rice meal; BRM+MEG: supplementation with BRM + […]

Production parameters of intercropped pastures of oat and rye grass managed with beef heifers supplemented with brown rice meal and/or protected fat were evaluated. Twenty-eight Charolais × Nellore crossbred heifers at initial average age of 18 months and initial average live weight of 274.9 kg were utilized in the experiment. Animals were kept on oat + rye grass pastures and distributed in the following treatments: no-supplementation (NS): heifers kept only in pastures; Megalac (MEG): supplementation with protected fat; brown rice […]

The relation between temperament with performance and meat quality was determined in 79 Charolais × Nellore steers kept in feedlot. Temperament was evaluated according to exit velocity, scale composite score and flight distance four times in the finishing phase, along with body weight, intake and feed conversion measures. Cattle were classified as calm, intermediate and excited according to exit velocity measures at the beginning of the trial. Excited cattle presented larger values for composite score and flight distance. Irrespective of […]

The objective of this study was to evaluate performance and nutritional traits of beef cattle raised on pastures, castrated at different ages, with and without supplementation. Forty-four crossbred young bulls with predominance of Zebu breed at initial average age of 120±30 days were used in the experiment. Animals were distributed in a completely randomized design in a factorial arrangement with four ages of castration and two supplementation systems. The animals were distributed into four groups and placed on Brachiaria decumbens […]

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate productive performance of lambs fed different levels of Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) in the making of gliricidia forage salt. A total of 30 180-day-old male crossbred Santa Inês lambs of 25 kg body weight were confined in 1 m2 stalls, fed Tifton-85 (Cynadon spp.) hay, fodder salts and water ad libitum. The experimental design was randomized, composed of six repetitions of five treatments. The formulation of gliricidia forage salt was 0 (100% NaCl), […]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutritional status of grazing nursing young bulls supplemented with concentrates with different protein levels during the rainy-dry season transition. Fifty two crossbred Nellore calves with initial mean age of 130 days were divided into four lots, housed in paddocks of Brachiaria decumbens Stapf and received one of the four different supplementation strategies: three different concentrate supplements, or mineral salt (control). The levels of protein in the concentrate supplements varied. After 45 […]

The objective of the present experiment was to evaluate the effect of forage allowance (3, 6 or 9 kg of green leaves dry matter (DM)/100 kg of body weight (BW)) on both animal performance and attributes of Cynodon dactylon var.dactylon canopy managed under continuous stocking by wethers. The study was carried out with 27 Polwarth wethers throughout five 28-day periods, in a completely randomized experiment, which included three paddocks per treatment and three tester animals per paddock. Forage mass varied […]

The intake of the dry matter (DM), the crude protein (CP) and the metabolizable energy intake (ME) in megacalories per day (Mcal/day) were not affected by the diets. In contrast, the intake of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), in g/kg BW, increased linearly. An increasing linear effect was also observed for the ether extract (EE) intake, whereas a decreasing linear performance was observed for the non-fibrous carbohydrate (NFC) intake. The digestibility of DM, organic matter and NFC decreased linearly with the […]

Productive performance and nutritional characteristics of crossbreds Nellore young bulls, in the growing stage, receiving different supplement offers, from July to September 2006, grazing on Brachiaria decumbens pasture were evaluated. The area was divided in five paddocks of 2.0 ha, with availability of dry matter and potentially digestible dry matter of 3.88 and 2.22 t/ha, respectively. Thirty animals of 230.0 ± 6.14 kg initial weight and 8.5 ± 0.18 months of age were assigned in a completely randomized experimental design […]