COCONUT MEAL INCLUSION IN HIGH CONCENTRATE SHEEP DIETS AFFECTS FEED DIGESTIBILITY AND INTAKE1
2021
SILVA,PAULA FABRINY MAUÉS DA | PANTOJA,SARAH OLIVEIRA SOUSA | DOMINGUES,FELIPE NOGUEIRA | RÊGO,ANIBAL COUTINHO DO | FATURI,CRISTIAN
ABSTRACT Coconut meal can be an affordable low-cost alternative to noble ingredients such as corn and soybean meal in sheep diets. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of coconut meal inclusions, when used as a corn and soybean meal replacement, on the intake, digestibility, and nitrogen balance of sheep diets. Twenty-four male Santa Inês lambs with body weights (BW) of 26.6 ± 3.2 kg were used in the study. The animals were housed in metabolic cages and distributed in a completely randomized block design, with three treatments and eight replications. The animals received a total mixed ratio of 30% roughage (elephant grass) and 70% concentrate. The animals were fed on two experimental diets with 11% and 22% coconut meal inclusion and a control diet (without coconut meal). Dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and non-fibrous carbohydrate (NFC) intake as a percentage of BW were negatively influenced by the inclusion of coconut meal. The ether extract (EE) intake increased but did not differ between the 11% and 22% coconut meal diets. Furthermore, the digestibility of DM, CP, EE, and ADF did not differ between the two evaluated diets. The inclusion of coconut meal reduced NDF digestibility and increased that of NFC. The level of inclusion of coconut meal in the diet must be based on the EE content in the meal; keeping the EE intake below 0.16% of the BW helped to avoid limited intake of feed.
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