Three hundred and eighty-four birds, half males and half females, were used to determine the copper (Cu) requirement for broilers in the initial phase (from 8 to 21 days). A basal diet was formulated to meet the bird nutritional requirements, except for Cu, that was deficient at 1.47 ppm level. The treatments consisted of Cu supplementation levels, from Cu sulfate, in a total of 1.47, 4.97, 8.47, 11.97, 15.47 and 18.97 ppm Cu in the diet. Weight gain, feed intake, […]

It was assessed the nutritive value of hand plucked forage samples collected along the grazing period and the animal performance on Mombaçagrass pasture under intermittent stocking with three rest periods (RP). The RPs were defined by the time required for the expansion of 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5 new leaves per tiller, after six days grazing period. The experimental area was divided into five paddocks for the 2.5 new leaves RP and six paddocks for the 3.5 and 4.5 new leaves […]

The morphogenetic and structural traits of Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraés submitted to the treatment combinations of four nitrogen rates (0, 40, 80 and 120 mg/dm3) and three defoliation frequencies (two, four and five completely expanded leaves) were evaluated according to a 4 x 3 factorial arrangement. The experiments were conducted in a greenhouse, with the treatments arranged as factorial combination. The experimental design was completely randomized, with four replications. After thinning, three seedlings were left per pot (5,8 dm3). The […]

Two trials were conducted to evaluate the requirements of increasing dietary digestible lysine levels, maintaining or not the amino acids relation, for broilers from 1 to 21 days old, on thermoneutral environment. A complete randomized experimental design was used in both trials. In trial 1, broilers were allotted to five treatments (0.92, 0.98, 1.04, 1.10, and 1.16% digestible lysine levels, conventional diet), with eight replicates of ten birds. In trial 2, chicks were allotted to four treatments (1.04, 1.10, 1.16, […]

The effects of replacing corn and soybean meal with cocoa meal (CF) or palm kernel cake (PKC) in the concentrate on milk intake and yield of goats were evaluated. Five Saanen goats, averaging 2 kg daily milk yield at 60 days of lactation, were assigned to a 5 x 5 Latin square experimental design. The experiment lasted 14 days, with 10 days for adaptation period and four days for sample collection. Diets contained: 36% of roughage (corns silage) and 64% […]

This trial was carried out to evaluate the effects of ideal protein concept on reduction of dietary protein content for Nile tilapia (5 to 125 g). A hundred and sixty juvenile fishes (4.40 ± 0.9 g) were assigned to a randomized experimental design with four treatments [25.5, 27, 28.5 and 30% (control) of digestible protein], three replicates and ten fish by experimental unit. Crystalline amino acids were added to maintain amino acid levels according to the ideal protein concept. The […]

An alternative definition of stayability was compared to an usual one. The usual definition in this study classifies the cows with at least three calvings at age of 76 months as success, setting them a value 1, and the ones with less than three calvings at this age as failure, setting them a value 0. The alternative definition sets the cows the values 0, 1, 2, or 3, according to the number of calvings: less than three, three, four, or […]

The effect of two herbage masses (HM) (1,200 or 1,500 kg/ha of dry matter – DM) and use of energy supplementation on performance of beef heifers grazing oat (Avena strigosa Schreb) plus annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam) was evaluated. The heifers were assigned to the following treatments: LHMNS – low herbage mass, no supplementation; HHMNS – high herbage mass, no supplementation; LHMS – low herbage mass + supplementation;HHMS – high herbage mass + supplementation. The supplement utilized was ground sorghum […]

Data comprising 5,007 records of first lactation of Holstein cows, daughters of 930 sires, from 33 herds in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, from 1984 to 1998, were used to estimate heritability coefficients and genetic trends for milk (MY) and fat (FY) yields and for fat percentage (%F). An animal model considered the genetic additive direct and residual as random effects and milking/day number, herd and year/season of parturition, and cow age at parturition as fixed effects, linear […]

The objective of this trial was to evaluate the carcass physical composition and meat qualitative characteristics of males of two categories, steers (slaughtered at 22.8 months old) and young steers (slaughtered at 15.2 months old), from two genetic groups, 5/8 Charolais (CH) 3/8 Nellore (NE) and 5/8NE 3/8CH, and to evaluate the relationship among the variables studied. The animals were fedlot finished until reaching 430 kg. The diet, roughage:concentrate ratio of 60:40 (dry matter basis), contained 10.25% crude protein and […]