This work was to evaluate the effect of different forage levels in the diet on the intake and apparent digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), total carbohydrate (CHO), gross energy (GE) and total digestible nutrients (TDN). Thirty five pure Holstein bull calves, 60 days old with initial average live weight (LW) of 78 kg, were allotted in a completely randomized experimental design with nine replications per diet, except […]

This work was conducted to study the net requirements of energy for maintenance and weight gain, the net requirements of protein for weight-gain and the dietetic requirements of protein and energy, as well as, the changes in corporal composition of dairy steers as live weight increased, with the purpose of meat production. Sixteen Holstein dairy steers with initial average age and weight of 20 months and 202.0 kg were used. The animals were divided into five groups: one group of […]

The objective of this work was to evaluate the weight gain, feed efficiency and carcass characteristics of dairy steers. Sixteen Holstein dairy steers with initial average age and weight of 20 months and 202,0 kg were used. The animals were divided into four groups. One group of animals was slaughtered at the beginning of the trial (AI) and three groups were ad libitum fed (AL-1, AL-2 and AL-3) and they were slaughtered when the individual weights of 250.0, 300.0 and […]

The objective of this work was to study the effects of age at the beginning of forage supply (4 or 60 days) and weaning age (35 or 56 days) on the digestibility of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and gross energy (GE) and nitrogen balance, in the post weaning period, in Holstein and Holstein x Zebu crossbred bull calves. The animals were maintained in metabolism cages for feces and urine collection. A unique diet containing […]

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the fermentative quality of sorghum silage of small, medium and high size with different stem+leafs/head proportions (100:00, 80:20, 60:40, 40:60, 20:80, 00:100), by means of lab analysis. The whole plant was used as control. The hybrids were cultivated and ensiled at 104 days of age in PVC lab silos measuring 10-cm of diameter by 40-cm of length (three replications per treatment). Silos were opened 56 days after the ensilage. The contents of […]

The objective of this work was to evaluate the development of beef heifers in a rotational grazing system as “first grazers” and “last grazers” during the first (Year-1) and second (Year-2) winter/spring seasons post weaning until the end of the first mating at 22-24 months of age. Seventy-six crossbred female calves were maintained during Year-1 and Year-2 on improved natural pasture of ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.) and arrowleaf clover (Trifolium vesiculosum cv. Yuchi). During the summer/autumn period and mating season, […]

This assay was conducted with sheep to evaluate in vivo digestibility of the dry matter and fiber fraction of broiler litters based on wood scraps, elephant grass Napier, corncob with husks and the aerial part of cassava. A completely randomized blocks experimental design with four treatments and five blocks with four sheep, considering the live weight of the animals, were used. Twenty Morada Nova sheep, white variety, with 18 months of age and live weight from 17.2 to 27.3 kg […]

The objective of this experiment was to determine the threonine requirement for broilers in the period from 22 to 42 days of age. Nine hundred and sixty broilers were random allotted in a 6×2 factorial arrangement, with six total threonine levels ( .67, .71, .75, .79, .83, e .87%) two sexes with five replicates with 16 birds each. The feed intake, weight gain, feed:gain ratio, plasma uric acid concentration, yields of carcass, special cuts and abdominal fat, and body composition […]

This experiment was carried out to determine the threonine requirement for broilers chicks from 1 to 21 days of age and to evaluate the effect of different threonine levels on the uric acid excretion in broilers. One thousand and two hundred broiler chicks were randomly allotted to a 6×2 factorial arrangement, being six levels of total threonine (.73, .77, .81, .85, .89, and .93%) and two sexes, with five replicates of 20 birds each. Feed intake, weight gain, feed:gain ratio […]

This work was conducted aiming to evaluate the effect of dietary energy level and the previous heat exposure on the respiratory activity of the mitochondria from the cardiac muscle of broiler chickens. It was used broiler chickens (Hubbard) from both sexes and fed with diet containing 2900 kcal ME/kg or 3200 kcal ME/kg. The birds were heat stressed (35oC/4h) in the 1st, 21st and 42nd days of age. The respiratory activity of mitochondria from cardiac muscle was evaluated in a […]