Two trials were carried out to evaluate performance, balance and retention of EE, DM and CP and biometrical measures of digestive organs of broiler chicks fed different dietary CP levels in the pre-starter period (1 – 7 d). In the first experiment, 560 one-day-old Avian Farms chicks were allotted to a complete randomized design with ten treatments, with a 5 x 2 (protein levels: 18, 20, 22, 24, and 26% x sex) factorial arrangement and four replicates of 14 birds […]

To evaluate grazing strategies of cattle on pastures, four Holstein black and white coating heifers were submitted to five sward heights of mombaçagrass (Panicum maximum Jacq.) pasture, in a completely randomized design, with two replications, between February and April, 2002. The experimental animals were evaluated during 45 minutes tests. Number of bites, number of feeding stations, number of steps and feeding time were measured, using chronometers and counters. The number of feeding stations per minute decreased quadratically (Y= 16.3199 – […]

Performance and age distribution of 1,075 cows were recorded during five years (May 1994 to May 1999) in a herd with an extensive cow-calf system in the Pantanal region. During this period new management technologies were introduced with the objective of modify the traditional system and improve herd production. Cows were identified and after pregnancy checking they were maintained or culled from the herd depending on the overall evaluation of the reproductive performance. Data were modeled using generalized estimating equation […]

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 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 study was to evaluate the genotype × environment interaction for weaning and yearling weights, daily weight gain from weaning to 12 months of age and the growth performance in Canchim (5/8 Charolais + 3/8 Zebu) beef cattle estimated by a principal components analysis including those three traits. The environment was defined by season of birth (first and second semesters of the year). Genetic parameters were estimated by bayesian method with the Gibbs sampler using bivariate analyses […]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of body weight (BW) of 1-d chicks on performance, yields of carcass and prime cuts and economic viability. One thousand, nine hundred and eight-four AGRoss 308 chicks (males and females) with different initial BW (32, 35, 40 and 49 g) were allotted to a randomized block design with a 2 x 4 (two sexes and four initial BW) factorial arrangement with eight treatments, four replicates and 62 birds per experimental […]

The effect of strain, breeding system and sex on body weight, carcass and leg yield, and morphologic aspects of skeletal muscle fibers of flexor hallucis longus muscle of broiler chickens was evaluated in this study. The experiment consisted of a 4x2x2 factorial arrangement of treatments, with four strains (Ross-308, Naked Neck Label Rouge, Caipirinha and Paraiso Pedrês), two breeding systems (confinement and semi-confinement) and two sexes, with two replicates per treatment, considering each bird selected randomly at 56 days of […]

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effects of probiotics, prebiotics and herbal extracts as alternatives to antimicrobial agents (as growth promoters) on intestinal microbiology , diarrhea incidence, and on performance of weanling pigs. Two randomized complete block design experiments were carried out during 35 days to compare five treatments: control – basal diet; antimicrobial – basal diet plus Zn bacitracin and olaquindox (50 ppm of each); probiotic – basal diet plus 1,300 ppm of probiotic (Bacillus subtilis […]

The nutrient apparent digestibility of diet with increasing phytase levels based on vegetable ingredients fed to 90 Nile Tilapia juveniles averaging 120.0 g and allotted to none tanks (ten fishes/tank) was determined. The experiment was analyzed as a complete randomized design with nine treatments and six replicates. The treatments consisted of: control (with phosphorus supplementation) and eight treatments without phosphorus supplementation (with 500, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000, 2,500, 3,000, 3,500, and 4,000 units of phytase [UF]/kg of diet). All diets were […]