The objective of this study was to evaluate the milk production, composition, milk fatty acid profile, butter texture and blood parameters of Holstein cows fed corn silage and concentrate containing one of the following: ground sunflower seeds; ground sunflower seeds treated with 50 g of lignosulfonate/kg of sunflower dry matter; pelleted sunflower seeds; or ground sunflower seeds pelleted and treated with 50 g of lignosulfonate/kg of sunflower dry matter. Four lactating cows were used, each with 130±28 days in lactation […]

Three different genetic groups were evaluated for growth up to slaughter and carcass quality for kill out, commercial cuts, non-carcass components, as well as carcass morphometric measurements. Pure Santa Ines (SI), ½ Ile de France × ½ Santa Ines (I × SI) and ½ Texel × ½ Santa Ines (T × SI) lambs were weighed weekly until they reached predetermined slaughter weight (30, 35, 40 and 45 kg). In both creep feeding and fattening the animals from crosses were superior […]

The effects of replacing Tifton hay with castor bean hulls (0, 33, 66 and 100%) on the leg tissue composition, chemical composition, physicochemical parameters and sensorial traits of sheep meat were studied. A total of 28 non-castrated sheep averaging seven months in age with an average initial weight of 19.5±4.3 kg were assigned to a randomized block design with four treatments and seven replicates and were slaughtered after 70 days of confinement. At slaughter, body weight and leg, muscle and […]

In order to compare the effects of addition of fluorine (F) in diets differing in protein content on the urinary F excretion, blood profile and thyroid hormones, 30 crossbred calves (6-8 months) initially exposed to different protein levels were allotted into six groups in a 3 × 2 factorial design. The factors included three different levels of protein: normal (NP; 100%), low (LP; 75%), and high (HP; 125%) besides two levels of supplemental fluorine (as sodium fluoride) at 0 or […]

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of protein and/or starch supplementation on the nutritional performance of cattle grazing on low-quality tropical forage. Five crossbred steers (Holstein × Gyr) with an average body weight (BW) of 397 kg that were fitted with ruminal and abomasal cannulae were used. The animals were kept in individual signal-grass (Bracharia decumbens) paddocks. Five treatments were evaluated: 1 – control (without supplementation); 2 – supplementation with 1 g of crude protein (CP) […]

The objective of this study was to evaluate intake, in vitro and apparent digestibility and ruminal parameters of Holstein cows that were confined and fed corn silage and concentrate containing: ground sunflower seeds (GS); ground sunflower seeds treated with 5% lignosulfonate (GSL); pelleted sunflower seeds (PS); or ground and pelleted sunflower seeds treated with lignosulfonate (PSL). Four lactating cows with 130±28 days of lactation and body weights of 569±63 kg were used. These animals were distributed in a Latin square design with four diets […]

The objective of the present study consisted of describing dam and calf suckling behaviour of Curraleiro Pé Duro cattle. In this study, 38 mother-offspring pairs and one mother-offspring-orphan trio were observed for 10 hours daily during three consecutive days spaced every four months over a period of one year. After identification, the animals were observed under field conditions where calf posture and the number of suckling episodes (NS), mean suckling duration (MSD), total suckling duration per day (TSD) as well […]

Using sorghum silage, the effect of roughage/concentrate ratios was evaluated on nutrient intake, digestibility, ruminal parameters and methane production by beef cattle. Three treatments (0, 30 and 60% of concentrate in DM of the diet) were distributed in three Latin squares, with nine animals and three periods. Dry matter intake increased as the grain concentration in diet increased; pH showed opposite behavior. Methane emissions were lower for animals fed the diet exclusively with sorghum silage as compared with those fed […]

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of dietary energy and recombinant bovine somatotropin (bST) injection to identify genes that might control mammogenesis. Total RNA was extracted from the parenchymal tissue of 32 heifers randomly assigned to one of four treatments: two diets (a standard diet and a high energy, high protein diet), each with or without bST. To perform microarray experiments, RNA samples were pooled (2 animals/pool) before reverse transcription and labeling with Cy3 or Cy5. […]

The objective of this study was to verify the effect of low-intake supplementation on performance of Nellore young bulls kept on Marandu grass pasture. The experiment was divided in two periods: the dry and rainy seasons. Treatments during the dry period were composed of mineral salt with urea and mineral supplement enriched with true protein and additive. In the rainy period treatments were mineral salt and enriched mineral supplement only. Pastures were evaluated and animals were weighed in both evaluation […]