The coefficients of apparent digestibility of dry matter (CADDM), organic matter (CADOM), crude protein (CADCP), ether extract (CADEE), total carbohydrates (CADTCHO), nonfiber carbohydrates (CADNFC), neutral detergent fiber (CADNDF) and acid detergent fiber (CADADF) were determined to evaluate the effect of the increasing dietary energy levels. The estimate of the apparent digestibility of the nutrients, using the method of fecal total collection, and the estimate of fecal dry matter production (FDMP), by the indigestible acid detergent fiber (IADF), as internal marker, […]

The objective of this experiment was to verify the effect of weaning age and ewe supplementation on the production of super-young lambs and on the reproductive cycle of dams. Sixty-six Hampshire Down ewes, ranging between 3 and 4 years of age, were kept with their lambs on grass pasture. All lambs were creep fed. The ewes were either supplemented (n=34) or not (n=32) during lactation. The lambs were randomly allocated to four treatments: T1 – weaned from supplemented dams at […]

The objective of this study was analyze the colour, pH, weight loss by cooking (PPC) and shear force (FC) of the Longissimus dorsi (LD) and semimembranosus (SM) muscles of Santa Inês (SI x SI) and Texel x Santa Inês (T x SI) lambs, slaughtered at different live weights. Thirteen males and fourteen females were slaughtered at 15, 25, 35 and 45 of live weight. The carcasses were kept during twenty-four hours at 2ºC and during that time the pH was […]

Twelve crossbred Texel x Bergamácia (TB), 12 crossbred Texel x Santa Inês (TS) and 12 purebred Santa Inês (SI) lambs were individually finished in fedlot for 50 days (from 130 to 180 days of age). Each genetic group consisted of six males and six females, fed three different diets: 1 = without coffee hulls (control); 2 = with coffee hulls in nature; 3 = with coffee hulls treated of with urea. The rumen/reticulum (RR) of the animals fed diets 1 […]

Thity-six lambs, 12 crossbred Texel x Bergamácia (TB), 12 crossbred Texel x Santa Inês (TS) and 12 purebred Santa Inês (SI) lambs were individually finished in fedlot for 50 days (from 130 to 180 days of age). Each genetic group consisted of six males and six females, fed three different diets: 1 = without coffee hulls (control); 2 = with in nature coffee hulls; 3 = with treated coffee hull with urea and grounded soybean grain. The animals were slaughtered […]

The experiment was developed at Instituto de Zootecnia in São José do Rio Preto, SP, and the objective was to evaluate the digestibility coefficients, the nutrients intake, and the nitrogen balance of diets with 20% of corn silage and 80% of concentrate and 0, 25, 40 and 55% of citrus pulp in total dry matter, replacing corn grain. Eight crossbred lambs, with nine months of age and 34 kg of liveweight, were fed in individual cages, where feces and urine […]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding alfalfa haylage with microbial inoculat on dry matter intake, milk yield and composition in Holstein cows, at 135 ± 16.4 days in milk. A cross-over design with two periods of sampling was used. Treatments were alfalfa haylage (50.0% DM and 16.5% CP) control or microbially inoculated with Silobac® product (Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus). Each experimental period extended for twenty-one days, the last five used for data collection. […]

The objective of this work was to evaluate the ruminal degradation and intestinal and total dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) digestibility of soybean meal, corn grain, dry molasses, fish meal, feather meal and alfalfa hay, by the in situ degradability technique associated to the mobile nylon bag technique. The samples of the feeds were milled and put in nylon bag of 10×5 cm (48 micras) in the amounts of 15 and 5 mg of DM/cm2 for concentrate feeds […]

Selenium and vitamin E are important antioxidants for cells and tissues protection acting directly as a support for the udder health. This experiment was designed to evaluate the influence of prepartum selenium and vitamin E supplementation on milk somatic cell counts of Holstein cows. Eighty four animals were allocated into four treatments: control; supplementation with 5 mg Se/day; supplementation with 1000 UI vitamin E/day and supplementation with 5 mg Se/day + 1000 UI vitamin E/day. The supplementation started thirty days […]

The effect of a chemical treatment (ammoniation with urea) or a biological treatment (innoculation with the fungus Pleurotus ostreatus) on the nutritive value of Brachiaria decumbens hay was evaluated by means of chemical analyses and a digestibility trial with sheep. Both treatments lasted 42 days, and thereafter the hay was dried and ground for animal feeding. The experimental diets were the following: untreated Brachiaria hay (FNT); untreated hay plus urea added in the trough (FNT+U); fungus-treated hay plus urea (FTB+U); […]