Four ruminally fistulated Holstein steers were fed four times a day (8 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.) with four diets with low and high protein content, with or without monensin, to verify the effect of monensin on feed intake and ruminal fermentation. Diets contained (dry matter basis): low (11.4 %) and high (16.5%) crude protein content, 65% of brachiaria hay (Brachiaria decumbens) and 35% of concentrate. Corn and urea- and corn and soybean meal- based diets were, […]

The net energy content for maintenance (NEm) and gain (NEg) of the napiergrass, under rotational grazing, as well as the changes on protein and fat concentrations in body and in weight gain of 36 ¾ Gyr-Holstein steers, grazing the forage, during the rainy season were determined. Half of steers had grazing time restricted to four hours daily, to limit energy intake to a level close to the maintenance level, and half had free access to the pasture. Six steers were […]

Four crossbred bovines (Zebu x Holstein) fed in nature, hydrolyzed, hydrolyzed sugar cane hay and silage as roughage sources constituting 70% of the diets were used to study the effect of alkali treatment of sugar cane (1.5% of NaOH at 50%) on dietary total digestibility and dry matter intake and rate of passage of sugar canes. The fiber was the most influenced fraction by the alkali treatment and increased at least by 45% of digestibility. The increases of 25.0 and […]

The effects of diet adaptation protocol by steers and of feeding four dietary urea levels (0, 0.65, 1.3, and 1.95%, dry matter – DM basis) on intake and total apparent digestibility of DM, organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), total carbohydrates (CHO), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), nonfiber carbohydrates (NFC) and total digestible nutrients intake (TDN) for Holstein, ½ Holstein-Guzera, ½ Holstein-Gir and Zebu steers were evaluated in this trial. The animals were assigned to four 4×4 latin […]

The maintenance net energy requirement of steers grazing elephangrass (Pennisetum purpureum, Schum) cv. Napier, as unique food, was determined. The trial lasted 175 days. Nine 0.5 ha paddocks were implanted in flat-land, in rotational grazing, were used. Thirty-six ¾ Gyr-Holstein steers averaging initial age of 20 months and 332 ± 37 kg body weight (BW) were used. Half of animals had grazing time restricted to four hours daily, to limit energy intake at a level close to maintenance, and half […]

The objective of this trial was to evaluate the effects of different levels of supplementation on performance of grazing steers in the growing phase. The experiment was carried from March to November 2003. Fifty-five steers averaging 10 months old and initial body weight of 226 kg were assigned to a completely randomized design. The treatments were as follows: control (mineral salt) and supplements fed at different levels (0.125, 0.25, 0.50, and 1.0% body weight/animal/day) and contained corn and soybean meal […]

Forty steers averaging 371 kg BW were allotted to a randomized block design with a 3 x 3 factorial arrangement, where four steers were slaughtered as reference, to evaluate the effects of feeding different protein sources (urea, amiferm, soybean meal) and forage (sugar cane, corn silage and pasture Bracharia brizantha) on carcass biometry and viscera and internal organs weights. Diets were formulated to be isoenergetic and isonitrogenous. No significant forage x protein source interaction was detected. It was not observed […]

Thirty-two crossbred Santa Inês hair sheep lambs (16 males and 16 females) bred with their female progenitors on pasture of Brachiaria humidicola grass, supplemented in creep-feeding during the night, were allotted to a completely randomized design, in a factorial arrangement 4 x 2, four weaning ages (56, 70, 84 and 98 days) and sex to determine the best weaning age. At weaning, the lambs were confined in individual pens until 126 days old, when were daily fed Tifton 85 hay, […]

The objective of this trial was to study the production of thirty-five crossbred goats: 1/2Brown Alpine x 12 1/2Moxoto (1/2BA-M), 11 3/4Brown Alpine x 1/4Moxoto (3/4BA-M), and 12 Tricross (1/2Anglo Nubian x 1/4Moxoto x 1/4Brown Alpine). After birth, the kids were separated from their mothers. Goats were milked twice a day and milk composition determined weekly. Animals were housed in collective pens and received a diet composed of sorghum silage (ad libitum) plus concentrate that were formulated to allow 2.5 […]

Five lactating Brown-Swiss cows averaging 520 kg of body weight (BW) and 15 kg of milk yield were assigned to a 5 x 5 Latin square to study the effects of replacing sorghum silage (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) with a columnar cactus known as xiquexique (Pilosocereus gounellei (A. Weber ex K. Schum.) Byl ex Rowl.) on animal performance and apparent digestibility of nutrients. The experimental diets contained (DM basis): 0, 12.5, 25, 37.5, or 50% of xiquexique. Each experimental period […]