An experiment was carried out as a completely randomized design, with seven treatments, and six replicates of six birds to determine the lysine nutritional requeriments for 252 semi-heavy laying hens. The diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous (17.1%CP) and isoenergy (2,800 kcal/kg-ME) and to meet all bird nutrient requeriments, with the exception of lysine, that was supplemented with L-lysine • HCl (78.4% of lysine) and resulted in the following levels: 0.79, 0.83, 0.87, 0.91, 0.95, 0.99, and 1.03% of total […]

The effect of different methionine + cystine (Met+Cis):total lysine (Lis) ratios on performance and egg quality for semi-heavily laying hens was evaluated. One hundred and twenty Lohmann Brown hens with 44 weeks old were allotted to a completely randomized design with with five replicates and four treatments, as follows: T1= 0.76 Met+Cys:total Lys ratio or 0.70% of Met+Cys and 0.92% of total Lys; T2 = 0.83 Met+Cys: total Lis ratio or 0.71% of Met+Cys and 0.85% of total Lys; T3 […]

Sixty-five crossbred sows (Landrace x Large White) averaging 217.36 ± 21.35 kg were used to evaluate increasing dietary total lysine levels (0.950, 1.025, 1.100, 1.175, and 1.250%) during 21 days of lactation. The experiment was analyzed as a randomized block design, with five treatments, 13 replicates of one sow per experimental unit. The daily total feed intake was fixed for all treatments. The dietary lysine levels did not affect sow weight at weaning, body weight loss, backfat thickness (BT), BT […]

The traditional method of total collection was used to determine the values of apparent metabolizable energy (AME), corrected apparent energy (AMEn), true metabolizable energy (TME) and corrected true energy (TMEn) of eleven feedstuffs and the respective coefficients of metabolizability of GE. The feedstuffs were as follows: three samples of poultry by-product (PBP), three of feather meal (FM), two of meat and bone meal (MBM), two of swine viscera meal (SVM) and one of viscera and feather meal (VFM) of different […]

A performance assay was conducted to study the effects of dietary electrolyte balance (EB) and crude protein levels on deposition of collagenous protein (CP) and the non collagenous protein (NCP) in the broiler bone matrix femurs. The broilers were fed diets with 20.0 or 23.0% of CP combined with 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, or 350 Meq/kg of EB from 1 to 21 and from 22 to 42 days. The experiment was analysed as a completely randomised design […]

The objective of this trial was to evaluate production and carcass characteristics of young steers grazing a mixture of black oat and Italian ryegrass pasture. Treatments were four different pasture heights (10, 20, 30, and 40 cm) that were obtained with different stocking rates. Fifty-five beef steers averaging 210 kg of body weight and 10 months of age at the beginning of the trial were used in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The observed increase in the […]

This work aimed to study the behaviour of pigs submitted to different grazing systems (continuous, alternated or rotational) in white-clover (Trifolium repens L.) pasture and fed ad libitum. Thirty-six finishing pigs, castrated males, averaging 80 kg were used. The behaviour activities (feeding, grazing, drinking, standing, laying, sitting, walking, urinating, defecating, playing, itching, rooting, and digging) were recorded by visual observations during three consecutive days, from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The experiment was analyzed as a complete randomized blocks, with […]

The objective of this trial was to evaluate the body weight change as well as the diameters and numbers of muscular fibers of the Semitendinosus muscle of lambs from birth until weaning that were born from Santa Inês ewes supplemented at different stages of gestation. Seventy-three Santa Inês ewes averaging 45.11 kg of body weight (BW) that were bred with three Dorset rams were randomly assigned to the following treatments during pregnancy: 1) control (CO): tanzaniagrass pasture (Panicum maximum Jacq.) […]

The true protein digestibility in the small intestine of different ruminant feeds were measured using in situ and in vitro techniques. Two steers with average body weight of 450 kg and fitted with ruminal cannulas were used for in situ incubation of different feeds. The following feedstuffs were evaluated: animal and vegetable protein concentrate, energy concentrate, fiber by-products, and forage. Protein truly digested in the small intestine was estimated by pepsin or pepsin/pancreatin incubation with or without previous ruminal incubation. […]

The objective of this trial was to evaluate partial and total tract digestibilities of diets containing Brachiaria brizantha hay plus concentrate fed to young bulls. Four Santa Gertrudis young bulls fitted with duodenal and ruminal cannulae were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square. Diets were formulated to yield daily body weight gains (BWG) of 0.5 or 1 kg/animal and potential of microbial fermentation of 9.5 or 11 g of microbial crude protein/MJ fermentable metabolizable energy. Apparent digestibility of […]