Cassava foliage hay for swine in finishing phase

Abstract

This research was developed to evaluate the digestibility and metabolizability of dry matter, crude protein and gross energy and availability of calcium and phosphorus of the cassava foliage hay for finishing pig, as well as to evaluate the performance, carcass characteristic and economic viability of the experimental diets for these animals fed with different levels of inclusion of this by-product in the diets. In the metabolism assay, four pigs were fed with a standard ration and others four received a test ration, with 30% of substitution of the standard ration for the cassava foliage hay. In the performance assay, forty animals were distributed in a randomized block design, with five treatments and four replications. The treatments consisted of the experimental diets with the levels of 0; 5; 10; 15 and 20% of inclusion of the cassava foliage hay. The values of the digestibility and metabolizability of the dry matter, crude protein, gross energy of the cassava foliage hay for growing pigs area are: 33.24 e 29.86%; 3.98 e 2.97%; 1,386.2 e 1,196.6kcal/kg, respectively. The values of calcium and phosphorus availability they are 0.30 e 0.21%, respectively. The feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion, carcass yield and weight of main cuts of pigs they are not influenced by inclusion of the cassava foliage hay in diets to the level of 20%. However the inclusion of the level of 10% of the cassava foliage hay in diets of pig improve financial yield of production.