It was evaluated the ingestive behavior of beef heifers on black oats (Avena strigosa Schreb.) and Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) pastures under different strategies of supplementation and continuous stocking system. The treatments evaluated were: ‘no supplement’- animals on black oats (BO) and Italian ryegrass (IR) pasture; ‘increasing’ – animals on BO and IR pasture receiving increasing levels (0.3, 0.6, and 0.9% of live weight – LW) of supplement; ‘fixed’ – animals on BO and IR pasture receiving 0.9% of […]

Some arguments currently used to support breed conservation are examined. The central point is that we cannot conserve all breeds because we do not have financial resources enough to keep everything (mainly in developing countries) and in many cases we do not have special reasons to conserve breeds. A breed is a human product and it should not be confused with specie. A breed can be generated or transformed. We can create synthetic breeds with the best characteristics of several […]

Small ruminants have been one of the first domesticated species and from their origins have produced multiple benefits to humans. In the last two centuries, world sheep production has become more and more specialised upon geographical areas. But, recent changes in consumer attitudes, together with the increment in artificial fibre industries and human world population, some crisis related with the international wool market and some increments in lamb prices, have provoked that lamb meat has increased its relative importance inside […]

The experiment was carried out to determine the optimum inclusion level of dried egg powder (DEGG) in the pre-initial and growing rations of broilers. Male Cobb-500 chicks (n= 1,152) with initial live weight of 43.46 ± 0.23 g were housed in cages of 1,0 × 1,5 m. A completely randomized design with four rations 0, (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5% of DEGG), each one with 18 replications of 16 birds. Isoproteic and isoenergetic rations were used, with 21.9% CP and 2,950 […]

A mechanistic model that predicts nutrient requirements and biological values of feeds for sheep (Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System; CNCPS-S) was expanded to include goats and the name was changed to the Small Ruminant Nutrition System (SRNS). The SRNS uses animal and environmental factors to predict metabolizable energy (ME) and protein, and Ca and P requirements. Requirements for goats in the SRNS are predicted based on the equations developed for CNCPS-S, modified to account for specific requirements of goats, […]

The objective of this study was to determine the true ileal digestibility coefficients of the protein and digestible amino acid of a yeast protein extract using two techniques – diet without protein (DIP) and diet with enzime-hydrolysed casein (CHE) – for the determination of protein amino acid and nitrogen losses. Twelve half-breed barrows were used, with average weight of 35 kg, previously submitted to a surgery for “T” simple cannula implantation. A completely randomized experimental design with three treatments, four […]

Maize and sorghum silages are good sources of energy for lactating dairy cows that produce milk destined for fresh and matured cheeses. Silages are usually stored in horizontal silos with or without side walls on commercial farms throughout the world. The main microbiological and nutritional quality problems are related to harvesting time, ensiling technology, and management practices during filling and feed-out. Aerobic deterioration is a key point that must avoided on farms in order to improve the hygienic, chemical and […]

This work evaluated the bromatologic characteristics of corn silages, ensiled at different maturity stages. It was used a split plot in time in a randomized block design, with four replicates. Cultivars evaluated were Geneze 2004, Agroceres 1051, Pioneer 30S40 and Pioneer 30F90 ensiled in the following maturity stages: 0% milk line kernels (SLL), reduction of milk line in 1/3 of the kernel (1/3 LL), 1/2 of the kernel (1/2 LL), 2/3 of the kernel (2/3 LL), and formed black layer […]

Initial success in sperm cryopreservation occurred at about the same time for aquatic species and livestock. However, in the 50 plus years since then cryopreserved sperm of livestock has grown into a billion-dollar global industry, while cryopreserved sperm of aquatic species remains a research activity with little commercial application despite work in more than 90 species and more than 200 published reports. Most research work has focused on large-bodied culture and sport fishes, such as salmon, trout, carp, and catfish, […]