The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the manner in which diet is supplied and spineless cactus forage is processed on intake, nutrient digestibility, milk production and composition, concentration of plasma urea nitrogen (PUN) in the milk urea nitrogen (MUN) and production of microbial protein in Holstein cows in lactation. Eight cows (453 ± 75.8 kg) yielding 14 kg milk/day were allotted to a factorial design, with two manners of cactus processing (knife-chopped or forage machine) […]

This experiment aimed at evaluating the productive performance, intake and the apparent digestibility in the raising of beef heifers on Brachiaria decumbens Stapf. pastures under supplementation with starch or fibrous energy sources during the dry season. It was used 40 newly weaned heifers (20 Nellore and 20 crossbreed), at 8.5 months of age and 197.9 ± 3.74 kg initial weight. Two supplements were formulated: the first was corn meal- and soybean meal-based diet (high in starch) and the second was […]

The objectives of this paper were to generate data on physical composition and muscle:bone, muscle:fat and edible portion:bone ratios of the loin of ewes slaughtered at different physiological stages in addition to the possible correlations among the variables analyzed in this study. Twenty-one Santa Inês ewes were distributed to the following physiological stages: EL = ewes which remained in lactation for 60 days with their respective lambs and slaughtered at one day after weaning of the lambs; EWL = ewes […]

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of increasing levels of concentrate and crude protein in the diets, in which intakes of dry matter and nutrients, coefficients of digestibility, milk production and composition and efficiency of food use were evaluated. Twenty cows in lactation were distributed in a random block design, with five replicates per diet, defined according to milk production. The experimental diets were constituted of sorghum silage as roughage and concentrate at the following levels: […]

This work aimed to evaluate the effect of neutral detergent fiber levels from forage (NDFf) in diets for lactating goats. Five goats were distributed in a 5 × 5 Latin square design, using five NDFf levels (19, 27, 35, 42 and 48%) as independent variable. Intakes of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), nonfibrous carbohydrates (NFC), total digestible nutrients (TDN) and net energy (NE) linearly decreased as NDFf levels increased. NDF intake was not […]

Two Nellore herds were compared, one selected for greater postweaning weight and the other, control, selected for average postweaning weight, to evaluate the effects of 29 years of selection on feed efficiency. Sixty Nellore males (41 selected and 19 control) averaging 205 kg and 267 days of age were evaluated in individual pens during performance test. Performance and dry matter intake were used to determine the following feed efficiency traits: feed conversion; residual feed intake; residual gain; partial growth efficiency; […]

It was evaluated in this study the effect of the type of the diet on duodenal flow of long-chain fatty acids in steers. The tested diets were the following: conventional (feedlot diet composed of 60% corn silage and 40% of concentrate); winter forage silage – rye grass (Lolium multiflorum, Lam); or tropical forage silage – association of millet (Pennisetum americanum, Leeke + alexander grass, Brachiaria plantaginea). Six Charolais × Nellore crossbred steers with cannulas in duodenum were used in a […]

This study evaluated the response of dairy heifers fed corn based silage with 1.3 kg/day of concentrated in comparison with three sugar cane-based diets corrected with 1% of urea + ammonium sulphate (9:1) (urea), with 1.3; 2.0 and 2.7 kg/day of concentrate. A total of 20 heifers were used (12 Holstein breed and 8 Brown Swiss breed heifers) in a randomised block design, with 5 blocks formed on the basis of initial live weight and breed. The consumption of dry […]

Eight Holstein cows with body weight 570 ± 43 kg and 60 ± 20 lactation days were distributed in a double Latin square design with four 21-day periods to determine the effects of feeding ground or whole flaxseed with or without monensin supplementation (0.02% on a dry matter basis) on fatty acid profile of butter stored for 15 and 45 days. Ground flaxseed supply, in comparison to whole flaxseed, reduced relative percentages of 16:0, cis7-16:1, 17:0, and cis10-17:1 but it […]

In order to study the effect of pH on defaunation in the rumen, four rumen fistulated steers were fed a basal roughage diet for a 4-week adaptation period followed by 17 weeks of feeding with three diets and two feeding levels of high concentrate diet. Rumen outflow fluid rate was evaluated in both ration levels. Rumen protozoa population was monitored weekly and when animals became defaunated, protozoa were reinoculated with rumen contents from one of the faunated steers. At every […]