Comportamento ingestivo de ovinos alimentados com dietas contendo duas fontes energéticas associadas ou não a palma orelha de elefante mexicana.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the replacement of corn by the extra fat whole germ of corn-GIEGM - in association or not with the Mexican Elephant Ear Palm - POEM - in the feeding of beef sheep. The experiment was carried out in the Sheep Farming sector of the Animal Science Department of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, located in the city of Recife-PE. Forty Santa Inês sheep were used, no castred males with four months old and initial weight of 22.0 ± 1.0 kg, distributed in a completely randomized design, in four treatments: Corn + Hay, Corn + POEM, GIEGM + Hay and GIEGM+ POEM, using 10% of the dry matter of the diet for corn and extra fat whole corn germ in the diets that contained these ingredients, the use of palm did not exclude the use of tifton 85 hay. The animals were housed in individual pens provided with drinking fountains and feeding troughs, arranged in a covered sheepfold. The experiment lasted 75 days, with the first 15 days for the animals to adapt to the facilities, diet and management, and the remaining 60 days for evaluation and data collection. Ingestive behavior evaluations. Were realized chemical analyzes of diets and foods. There was no difference for the contrasts where TR, TA and C2 were evaluated, effect of the association of the Mexican elephant palm ear with extra fat whole corn germ (GIMEG + Hay vs GIEGM + POEM); and C4 the effect of the energy source (Corn + Hay vs GIEGM + Hay), for TA, TR, TO, TMT and EAL. The Mexican elephant ear Spineless Cactus stimulated dry matter intake in both treatments to which it was included, favoring a longer idle time, reducing total chewing time, improving feeding efficiency and rumination efficiency.