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Intake and ingestive behavior in lambs fed low-digestibility forages
Antônio E Filho1, Gleidson G P Carvalho2, Aureliano J V Pires3
1Federal Institute of the North of Minas Gerais, Almenara, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Tropical Animal Health and Production
|June 29, 2016
Summary
Fresh sugarcane with urea improved dry matter intake and efficiency in lambs compared to treated bagasse. This suggests sugarcane-based diets can be a viable feed for growing lambs.
Area of Science:
- Animal Science
- Ruminant Nutrition
- Feed Science
Background:
- Sugarcane byproducts are potential feed resources for ruminants.
- Optimizing their utilization requires understanding animal ingestive behavior.
- Urea treatment can enhance the nutritional value of sugarcane bagasse.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the ingestive behavior of lambs fed different sugarcane-based diets.
- To compare fresh sugarcane with urea, calcium oxide-treated bagasse, and urea ammoniated bagasse.
- To determine the most suitable sugarcane-based feed for lamb diets.
Main Methods:
- Thirty-four Santa Inês wethers were used in a completely randomized design.
- Animals were fed diets of fresh sugarcane with urea, treated bagasse, or ammoniated bagasse.
- Ingestive behavior was monitored visually for 24 hours over 5-day periods.
Main Results:
- Fresh sugarcane with urea resulted in higher dry matter (DM) intake and DM intake efficiency.
- Animals fed calcium oxide-treated bagasse showed increased neutral detergent fiber intake, feeding time, and chewing time.
- Rumination efficiency and feeding efficiency were similar across diets, but DM per ruminated bolus was lower with treated bagasse.
Conclusions:
- Fresh sugarcane supplemented with urea is a superior feed alternative for lambs compared to treated or ammoniated sugarcane bagasse.
- Dietary strategies involving sugarcane can significantly influence lamb ingestive behavior and intake.
- Further research into cost-effective processing of sugarcane byproducts is warranted.
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