Rice meal in sheep diet

Abstract

The intake and nutrients digestibility of the diets content different levels of rice meal (0, 7, 14 and 21%) in substitution to corn in concentrate ration were evaluated for sheep. Twenty sheep, not castrated, Santa Inês breed, with initial average body weight of 23±1,6kg were used, on the completely randomized design with four treatments and five repetitions. The animals were kept in individual metabolic cages, for a period of 21 days, have been the initial 14 days used to animal adaptation and seven days for orts and fecal samples collections. The diets were isonitrogenous with 13.3% of crude protein, haved roughage:concentrate ration of 50:50, based on dry matter provided ad libitum, allowing orts of 10%. The dry matter intake was obtained by the difference between the diet offer and the orts. Each percent unit increased of rice meal in the diet reduced the the dry matter, crude protein and total digestible nutrient intake in 8.7, 1.5 and 3.4g/animal/day, respectively. Not were observed effects of rice meal levels on nutrients digestibility, have been founded the average values of 71.57, 73.26 and 47%, respectively, for dry matter, total carbohydrate and neutral detergent fiber digestibility, respectively.