The effect of different dietary concentrate levels (25, 37.5, 50, 62.5, and 75%) on the carcass characteristics, gastrointestinal tract weight, internal organ weight and gastrointestinal tract fill was evaluated. Twenty-four F1 Simental x Nellore bulls, with 17 months of age and average live weight of 354 kg, were used. The animals were slaughtered when reached 500 kg of live weight. After cooling, carcasses were qualitative (loin eye area) and quantitatively (measures, yields and prime cuts) evaluated. The carcass and prime […]

The objective of this experimental work was to evaluate the influence of different levels of sorghum grain, as a source of starch, on the plasma parameters of sheep fed elephant grass hay (Pennisetum purpureum Schum). Sorghum grain was included in the diet at four levels: 0, 15, 30 e 45%. Twelve castrated male sheep were assigned to four treatments with three replicates. Six samples of blood per animal were collected just before the morning feeding (zero hour) and after 1, […]

The adequacy of the recommendation of phosphorus for growing Nellore steers was evaluated by means of the weight gain, feed intake and feed:gain ratio during 250 days. Fifteen steers were fed a basal P-deficient but otherwise adequate in the other nutrients, enabling gains of 500 g/day. The diet was supplemented (treatment 1 = 15 g P/day, treatment 2 = 11 g P/day) or not (treatment 3 = 5 g P/day) with monoammonium phosphate. Phosphorus deficiency did not affect organic matter […]

In order to increase the sugar cane bagasse digestibility, this agricultural by-product was treated with several chemical reagents with or without physical treatment. After preliminary evaluation, where several delignificant agents were evaluated, ten treatments were selected for more detailed in vitro dry and organic matter disappearance trials. Then, for the in vivo digestibility trial, four sugar cane bagasse based diets were made: 1 – Hydrolyzed sugar cane bagasse, pressure of 17 kgf/cm2 per 5 min; 2 – Bagasse treated with […]

The objective of this experiment was to estimate the dietary phosphorus requirement (P) for maintenance of kid goats in the growth phase by the endogenous loss method and comparative slaughter technique. Twenty-one males, average 18 kg LW, were used. From those, three were slaughtered at the beginning of the experiment, as reference, and the remaining 18 animals were fed isocaloric and isoproteic diets in a completely randomized design with 3×2 factorial arrangement (level of dietary P [0.12, 0.21 and 0.29% […]

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of energy supplementation on the performance of finishing cull cows under temporary grazing on triticale plus ryegrass. The energy supplement was ground sorghum in the levels of 0, .3, .6 and .9% of the live weight. Forty Charolais cull cows were divided in age classes and randomly distributed on the supplementation levels. No interaction was observed between age of the cow and supplementation level. The increase of supplementation level did not affect […]

The work was carried out to evaluate the microbial protein production determination by means of the urinary excretion of purine derivatives; to compare the microbial protein production by means of purine base methods and of the urinary excretion of purine derivatives; to determine the microbial protein production on the dry matter intake and percentage of neutral detergent fiber in the diet; and to establish the allantoin: uric acid ratio, in relation to the xanthine and hypoxanthine in the urine. Five […]

The work was carried out to evaluate the plasma N-urea concentration (NUP), the urea fractional excretion (UFE) and the creatinine (CE) and urea (EU) excretions for several experimental conditions; to establish the relation among NUP, the urea fractional excretion and the urea excretion with the dietary crude protein (CP) and NDF percentage; and to evaluate the urinary endogenous losses, by means of the creatinine excretion determination. In the experiments I and II, diets with 25.0, 37.5, 50.0, 62.5, and 75.0% […]

An equation based on heat transfer theory was presented to estimate the rate of heat loss from cattle exposed to a tropical environment, specified by the air temperature, humidity, solar radiation, and wind speed. The animals’ variables (sweating rate, rectal temperature, respiratory rate, surface temperature, haircoat color, and body weight) were considered together with environmental variables (air temperature and humidity, solar radiation, wind speed, and globe temperature). The equation allows the prediction of (a) the metabolic heat production level necessary […]

The objective of this experiment was to study the carcass traits and their correlation with the tissue composition. Twenty-two intact male lambs, sired by Texel males, from crossbreed Texel -Ideal dams were used. At the beginning of the experiment (24 hours after birth), four lambs were slaughtered to serve as reference and a group of six lambs were slaughtered at weaning time and at 28 and 33 kg LW. The lambs were confined in individual stall with their respective mothers […]