Nine lactating Holstein cows with average 526 ± 5 kg of BW, five predominantly black and four predominantly white, bred in a tropical region and managed in open pasture were observed to measure cutaneous and respiratory evaporation rates under different environmental conditions. Cows were separated in three weight class: 1 (<450 kg), 2 (450-500 kg) and 3 (>500 kg). Latent heat loss from cutaneous surface was measured using a ventilated capsule; evaporation in the respiratory system was measured using a […]

The effect of the addition of 0.0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5% of urea to dehydrated vineyards residue, associated to forage cactus palm in the feeding of goats on intake and nutrient digestibility was evaluated. Twenty-four castrated crossbred goats, without defined breed, with average 18 kg of BW were distributed to a randomized block design according to the body weight. The addition of increasing levels of urea to dehydrated vineyards residue increased intakes of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude […]

Records from 2.440 first lactations of Gir cows, calving between 1990 and 2005, were used for estimating genetic parameters of test-day milk yield (TDMY) and accumulated 305 day milk yield (M305) in univariate and bivariate animal models analyses. The model for TDMY included the contemporary group (CG) defined by the combination of herd, year and season of test day, the class of age of cow at calving and the linear covariate of days in milk (linear regression) as fixed effects […]

The objective was to evaluate in sheep the intake and apparent digestibility of nutrients diets containing finger millet grain (Eleusine coracana). Twenty lambs were used with average initial 18.90 kg BW, in a completely randomized design, with five diets and four replications. The animals were fed isoprotein diets formulated with 0.0, 16.0, 32.5, 48.0 e 67.0% of finger millet grain in substitution of corn meal, with 50:50 forage to concentrate ratio (%DM). The levels of finger millet grain did not […]

This study tested the influence of different forage allowances during the growing season on vegetation dynamics and animal performance. Treatments consisted of different herbage allowances (kg DM/100 kg liveweight/day, expressed in %) and different combinations of herbage allowances in sequence: 4.0%, 8.0%, 12.0%, and 16.0% herbage DM allowance during the entire year; 8.0% herbage allowance in Spring and 12.0% in Summer/Autumn; 12.0% herbage allowance in Spring and 8.0% in Summer/Autumn; 16.0% herbage allowance in Spring and 12.0% in Summer/Autumn. The […]

The performance of lambs for the mating in the autumn in improved native pasture fertilized with 250 kg/ha of mineral formula 5-20-20 was evaluated. Two levels of nitrogen (N) (100 and 200 kg/ha of N as urea) divided in two applications, 70% and 30%, in February, 3, and March, 17, 2005, respectively, were tested in a complete block design with two replications. Plots without N application were used as control. Evaluation was done on continuous variable stocking in order to […]

The additive and non-additive effects on pre-weaning and post-weaning traits in Hereford x Nelore animals were estimated by multivariate linear regression analyses, including or not the ridge regression procedure. Variance inflation factors (VIF) estimates for all covariates were larger in the analysis without ridge regression. The estimates obtained in this study were used to predict the performances of successive generations of a ½ crossbred Braford population resulting from mating Hereford bulls to Nelore cows. High performance was observed in the […]

The influence of the relation among genotype and temperament of cattle on the direct and indirect gains for meat production. Seventy-nine steers with 19-20 mo old from eight genotype groups of Charolais x Nellore crossbred were evaluated: CH (100CH), ¾ CH1/4N (0.75CH), 11/16CH5/16N (0.69CH), 5/8CH3/8N (0.63CH), 3/8CH5/8N (0.38CH), 5/16CH11/16N (0.31CH), 1/4CH3/4N (0.25CH) e N (0CH) animals were kept in feedlot and were fed with diet containing 50:50 forage to concentrate ratio (%DM). The temperament was evaluated using are four methods […]

This study was aimed at defining profitability measures designed for prediction of breeding values (EBV) in dairy cows. Performance and economic data recorded in herds enrolled in the DHIA (Dairy Herd Improvement Association) program in Kentucky, USA, were used to evaluate economic functions which included the following profitability measures: lifetime net income (LNI), efficiency (EF), milk income over feed costs (IOFC), net income per day of productive life (NIPL), net income at the end of the first lactation (NI1), and […]

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the partial and total digestibility coefficient (DC) of the nutrients, ruminal pH, ammonia nitrogen (N-NH3) concentration in the ruminal fluid and microbial efficiency synthesis in bovines fed rations containing 0, 8, 16 and 24% of brewers grains. The brewer grains were ensiled in surface silo (5,000 kg). Four Holstein cattle (480 ± 100 kg of body weight) fitted with ruminal and duodenal cannulas, were distributed to 4 × 4 Latin square […]