Economic and animal performance of feedlot beef young bulls and heifers fed finishing diets were evaluated in this trial. Twenty-eight Santa Gertrudis bovines (14 young bulls and 14 heifers) were assigned to a completely randomized design and maintained in individual pens. Diets were formulated to fulfill the weight gain requirements of finishing animals. The measured variables were affected by sex. Daily weight gain (DWG), feed conversion, carcass yield, and dry matter (DM) intake were: 1.80 and 1.22 kg/day, 5.61 and […]

The objective of this study was to propose and validate a model to estimate the apparently digestible fraction of crude protein (CP) of cattle diets. The theoretical framework for model development was based on true digestibility coefficient and metabolic fecal contribution. The estimation of both parameters was done by using the Lucas test. The dataset for model building was composed by 39 and 54 means from 10 experiments with lactating cows and 23 experiments with growing and finishing cattle, respectively. […]

Intake, digestibility of nutrients, daily gain, and feed conversion were evaluated in beef cattle receiving diets containing Tifton 85 hay and corn silage in the following proportions (% forage DM): 100:0, 68:32, 35:65, and 0:100. A forage:concentrate ratio of 58:42 (% diet DM) was used. Nineteen crossbred Limousin x Zebu bulls averaging 301 kg of initial body weight were allotted to completely randomized design. The trial lasted 99 days with 15 days for diet adaptation and three experimental periods of […]

Two trials were conducted to evaluate the apparent digestibility of GE, DM and CP in energy and high protein feedstuffs for adult dogs. Four adult mongrel dogs (two males and two females) averaging of 13.1 ± 2.0 kg were used in both trials, to evaluate each feedstuff. The animals were fed the same amount of food per metabolic weight. The nutritive value of energy feedstuffs was evaluated in the trial 1. In the trial 2, the digestibility coefficients of protein […]

The objective of this trial was to study the physical composition of carcass and the qualitative characteristics of the meat of 16 finishing young bulls, eight Aberdeen Angus (AA) and eight Hereford (HE), fed diets with two energy levels (lower: 3.07 Mcal/kg of digestible energy – 12% of concentrate; or higher: 3.18 Mcal/kg of digestible energy – 32% of concentrate). Animals were feedlot fed since 9 months of age and an average body weight of 220.31 kg and were slaughtered […]

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the performance of crossbred Charolais x Nellore young steers fed diets with different corn hybrid silage: Agroceres AG9090, Dekalb DK440 or Braskalb XL344. Animals were feedlot finished until reaching approximately 430 kg of body weight. The average age of the animals at the beginning and at the end of the trial was 10.3 and 15.2 months, respectively. Diets were formulated to contain a forage:concentrate ratio of 60:40 (DM basis) with the following […]

The effect of adding dietary ractopamine on meat quality of dominant homozygote (HalNN) and heterozygote (HalNn) halothane animal genotypes was evaluated in this trial. During the experiment (21days), it was used 24 barrows and 12 gilts (half of each halothane genotype) averaging 72.6 kg initial BW. The experiment was analyzed as a randomized block with a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial arrangement (two halothane genotypes, two diets: control and with 10 ppm of ractopamine and two categories: barrows and […]

The objective of this trial was to investigate the effects of replacing corn by coffee hulls on intake, apparent digestibility, and milk production and composition of lactating dairy cows. Treatments contained one of the following four levels of coffee hulls: 0, 5, 10 or 15% of the total dietary DM. Twelve Holstein dairy cows were blocked by days in milk and randomly assigned to three replicated 4 x 4 Latin squares. Diets were isonitrogenous averaging 15.5% of CP and composed […]

This study aimed to evaluate reproductive characteristics (sexual behavior, scrotal perimeter and quali-quantitative aspects of semen) of young and adults Alpine and Saanen male goats exposed to an artificial photoperiod (16 hours of light and 8 hours of darkness for 2 months). The young animals showed greater libido than the adults, based on the smallest time of reaction. Frequency of manifestation of the behavior traits varied between breeds and ages and higher intensity was observed on adult animals. Scrotal perimeter […]

The objective of this trial was to investigate the physical characteristics of carcasses and primary cuts of 86 steers and bulls averaging 329 kg of body weight and 20 months of age. Twelve Gir, 20 Nellore, 20 Guzerá , and 20 Caracu all from herds that genetically selected for weight gain at 378 days of age and 14 non-genetically improved Nellore (control) were used in this study. Corn silage was used as the forage portion of the diet in a […]