The objective of this experimental work was to evaluate the influence of different levels of sorghum grain, as a source of starch, on the plasma parameters of sheep fed elephant grass hay (Pennisetum purpureum Schum). Sorghum grain was included in the diet at four levels: 0, 15, 30 e 45%. Twelve castrated male sheep were assigned to four treatments with three replicates. Six samples of blood per animal were collected just before the morning feeding (zero hour) and after 1, […]

The work was carried out to evaluate the plasma N-urea concentration (NUP), the urea fractional excretion (UFE) and the creatinine (CE) and urea (EU) excretions for several experimental conditions; to establish the relation among NUP, the urea fractional excretion and the urea excretion with the dietary crude protein (CP) and NDF percentage; and to evaluate the urinary endogenous losses, by means of the creatinine excretion determination. In the experiments I and II, diets with 25.0, 37.5, 50.0, 62.5, and 75.0% […]

An experiment was conducted to study the effects of allowance of ammoniated rice straw on the voluntary intake (VI) and digestibility of dry matter (DMD), and on the intake, excretion, digestibility and N balance. Fifteen adult sheep, males, castrated, with average weight of 63.8 kg, individually kept in metabolic cages, were used. The levels of straw fed to the animals were: 1.5; 3.0; 4.5; 6.0 and 7.5% of live weight. A supplement (200 g/animal/day of corn) was used to supply […]

An equation based on heat transfer theory was presented to estimate the rate of heat loss from cattle exposed to a tropical environment, specified by the air temperature, humidity, solar radiation, and wind speed. The animals’ variables (sweating rate, rectal temperature, respiratory rate, surface temperature, haircoat color, and body weight) were considered together with environmental variables (air temperature and humidity, solar radiation, wind speed, and globe temperature). The equation allows the prediction of (a) the metabolic heat production level necessary […]

The effect of different dietary concentrate levels (25, 37.5, 50, 62.5, and 75%) on the carcass characteristics, gastrointestinal tract weight, internal organ weight and gastrointestinal tract fill was evaluated. Twenty-four F1 Simental x Nellore bulls, with 17 months of age and average live weight of 354 kg, were used. The animals were slaughtered when reached 500 kg of live weight. After cooling, carcasses were qualitative (loin eye area) and quantitatively (measures, yields and prime cuts) evaluated. The carcass and prime […]

The work was carried out to evaluate the microbial protein production determination by means of the urinary excretion of purine derivatives; to compare the microbial protein production by means of purine base methods and of the urinary excretion of purine derivatives; to determine the microbial protein production on the dry matter intake and percentage of neutral detergent fiber in the diet; and to establish the allantoin: uric acid ratio, in relation to the xanthine and hypoxanthine in the urine. Five […]

The objective of this experiment was to study the carcass traits and their correlation with the tissue composition. Twenty-two intact male lambs, sired by Texel males, from crossbreed Texel -Ideal dams were used. At the beginning of the experiment (24 hours after birth), four lambs were slaughtered to serve as reference and a group of six lambs were slaughtered at weaning time and at 28 and 33 kg LW. The lambs were confined in individual stall with their respective mothers […]

This work was conducted with the objective to determine the body composition for fat, protein and ash, the net requirements of energy and protein for weight gain, and the requirements of metabolizable protein of growing lambs. Twenty-two male lambs, sired by Texel males, from crossbreed Texel x Ideal dams were used. Four lambs were slaughtered at the beginning of the experiment (24 hours after birth) and groups of six lambs were slaughtered at weaning, at 28 and 33 kg of […]

The objective of the present work was to validate the ruminal and post-ruminal nutrient dynamics and the ruminal microbial growth predictions, by using the equations of the Cornell system. The experiment was carried out during the rainy and dry seasons of the 1996 year, in a natural pasture area situated in the county of Viçosa (MG). Esophageally, ruminally and abomasally cannulated steers were used during two experimental periods within each season, and external markers (Cr2O3 and Eu) were used to […]

An experiment was conducted, on extraction and analysis of n-alkanes, to investigate the use of n-alkane (C35) present in forages as an internal marker for the digestibility determination. Samples of forages and feces were taken from conventional digestibility trials, which were previous conducted from 1978 to 1982. The C35 underestimated the dry matter and organic matter digestibilities, presenting an average difference in relation to in vivo of 4.68 (± 0.69) and 4,43 (± 0.85) perceptual units, respectively. The coefficient of […]