Supplementation for steers on pasture during the rainy period: intake, digestibility and ruminal parameters

Abstract

Supplements with different protein sources were evaluated during the rainy seasons. The supplements were supplied in base of 500g per day. The following treatments were used: soybean meal and wheat bran; wheat bran and urea; cottonseed meal (38 % crude protein); wheat bran, cottonseed meal and urea; and the control. The nutritional parameters were evaluated in five animals with initial average weight and age of 219kg and 14 months respectively, fistulated in the esophagus and in the rumen, distributed in five paddocks of 0.3 hectares in a 5 × 5, incomplete latin square design. There was no effect of supplementation or protein sources over the nutrients intake or dry matter intake from pasture. The dry matter and neutral detergent fiber digestibility obtained in cottonseed meal containing 38% crude protein was inferior to others. There was no effect in the treatments under the pH, which average value was 6.41. The higher ruminal concentration of ammonia was to treatment with wheat bran and urea, that contained the highest value of urea when compared to the other treatments. There was no negative effect of supplementation (500g per day) or protein sources the nutritional parameters evaluated.