Intake, digestibility of nutrients, daily weight gain, and feed conversion were evaluated in beef cattle receiving diets containing the following ratios of sorghum silage:Tifton 85 haylage: 0:100; 32:68; 66:34; and 100:0. Diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous (12% crude protein) with a forage:concentrate ratio of 60:40, on DM basis. Twenty-four crossbred Holstein x Zebu steers averaging 360 kg of initial body weight were distributed in a completely randomized block design with 15 days for diet adaptation followed by three experimental […]

This research was conducted to compare the accuracy of two mathematical models to predict calcium (Ca) metabolism in sheep supplemented with different Ca sources. Twenty Brazilian male sheep averaging 7 to 8 months of age were fed a basal diet containing corn, soybean meal, hydrolyzed sugarcane bagasse, urea, mono-ammonium phosphate, mineral mixture and one of the following Ca sources: limestone (LM), alfalfa hay (AH), dicalcium phosphate (DP), oyster shell meal (SM), and citrus pulp (CP). On day 22 each animal […]

Four crossbred Holstein x Zebu steers fitted with ruminal and abomasal cannulas were randomly assigned to a 4 x 4 Latin square to evaluate the effects of feeding corn or sorghum silages with and without microbial inoculant on intake, ruminal metabolism, total and partial digestibility of nutrients, and digesta passage rate. Diets contained, dry matter (DM) basis, a forage to concentrate ratio of 63:37. No significant differences were observed on the intakes of DM, crude protein (CP), and total digestible […]

The objective of this trial was to study the behavior of lactating Holstein cows grazing pasture containing elephantgrass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) and a mixture of black oat (Avena strigosa Schreb.) plus ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.). Data from six early to mid lactating cows were collected every 10 minutes interval by two observers (from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) at three grazing cycles: 06/17, 08/04, and 09/16 of 2004. The following variables were measured: […]

Four bulls fitted with ruminal cannula were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square design to evaluate the effects of different ruminally inoculated additives on the degradation kinetics of DM, CP, and NDF of corn silage (CS). The treatments were: control CS incubated in rumen with no additive; LB – CS incubated in rumen inoculated with five grams of dehydrated and lyophilized ruminal and intestinal bacteria (Ruminobacter amylophilum: 3.0 x 1011 ufc/kg; Fibrobacter succinogenes: 3.0 x 1011 ufc/kg; Succinovibrio […]

Twelve lactating dairy cows (Holstein and crossbred Holstein x Zebu) were blocked by days in milk and randomly assigned to three replicate 4 x 4 Latin squares to compare two schedules of total fecal collection (two versus six days) and the reliability of two internal markers [indigestible neutral detergent fiber (INDF) or indigestible acid detergent fiber (IADF)] to estimate fecal DM excretion (FDME), apparent total tract digestibility of nutrients, and the total digestible nutrients (TDN) content of the diets. The […]

The objective of this trial was to investigate intake, apparent total tract digestibility of nutrients, passage rate, average daily gain, carcass yield, and feed conversion in beef cattle fed diets containing four levels of CP (9, 11, 13 and 15%) and forage:concentrate ratio of 60:40. Twenty-four young Zebu bulls were assigned to a completely randomized block design with four treatments and six replications. The experiment lasted 84 days with 15 days for diet adaptation and three periods of 28 days […]

The objective of this trial was to evaluate the effects of replacing soybean meal with urea on performance, carcass traits, and intake and digestibility of nutrients in steers. Microbial protein synthesis and efficiency were also measured in this trial. Sixteen steers averaging 286 kg of BW were assigned to a completely randomized design with a 2×2 factorial approach: two protein sources (soybean meal and urea) and two levels of concentrate (0.75 and 1.25% of BW); four replicates per treatment were […]

The objective of this trial was to evaluate the carcass traits of feedlot castrated Murrah buffaloes. Twenty castrated hornless Murrah buffaloes averaging 15 months of age and initial body weight of 207 kg were used. Animals were divided in four groups and slaughtered at 75, 100, 125 or 150 days of feedlot after an adaptation period. At slaughter, carcasses were identified, cooled for 24 hours, and weighed for calculation of yields of half carcass, hindquarter, spare ribs, forequarter, and sawcut. […]

The objective of this trial was to investigate the effects of diets containing corn silage, bermudagrass hay, or elephantgrass silage on intake and apparent total tract and partial digestibilities of nutrients in cattle. A forage to concentrate (soybean meal) ratio of 90:10 was used. Six ruminally and omasally fistulated bovines averaging 351 kg of initial body weight were used in two replicated 3 x 3 Latin squares. Each experimental period lasted 16 days with 10 days for animal adaptation and […]