Supplemental energy sources for Santa Inês sheep grazing on urochloa grass in the dry season

Abstract

The trial aimed to evaluate the effect of feeding of 1% body weight of concentrate supplementation, formulated with different ingredients (mesquite pod meal , sorghum meal or wheat bran), or without concentrate supplementation on behavioral parameters and cost of production of sheep kept in grazing urocloa grass. We used 24 Santa Inês sheep, non-castrated, weaned with body weight averaging 20 ± 2kg and an average of 120 days of age. The animals were assigned in the four treatments consisting by animals fed forage under deferred grazing of Urochloa grass (Urochloa mosambicensis). The dry matter intake was significant and the values were higher to the animals what receive concentrate supplement. The differences in the dry matter intake did not affect the feeding activity, already the time of grazing had a higher value for the animals without concentrate supplementation, in compared with other. The time of rumination was higher for treating without concentrate supplementation . The number of ruminated bolus (nº/day) and chewing time/bolus (sec) were not affected. The feeding efficiency (g DM/hours) and rumination efficiency (g DM/hours) were lower for the treatment without concentrate supplementation . The economic result was positive for all treatments with concentrate supplementation, however, the without concentrate supplementation treatment showed negative revenue. The concentrate supplementation positively influences the efficiency of feeding that reflects in minor time grazing, being that the economic return depends on the price and availability of fed.