title: Tifton hay, soybean hulls, and whole cottonseed as fiber source in spineless cactus diets for sheep.
abstract: The objective of this paper was to evaluate the effect of three different sources of fiber (tifton hay, soybean hulls, and whole cottonseed) in spineless cactus diets for sheep in the semiarid region of northeastern Brazil. Twenty-one sheep in finishing phase with indeterminate breed, non-castrated, and with initial weight of 18.90 ± 1.07 kg were randomly distributed to individual stalls where they were confined for the duration of the experiment. The intakes of dry and organic matter, total carbohydrates, and total digestive nutrients were not influenced (P > 0.10) by the different fiber sources (1.10, 0.97, 0.73, and 0.80 kg/day, respectively). However, sheep which received the whole cottonseed diet were characterized by a lower (P < 0.10) intake of crude protein and neutral detergent fiber and greater (P < 0.10) intake of ether extract (0.11, 0.29, and 0.048 kg/day, respectively). The different sources of fiber resulted in similar times spent feeding (P > 0.10), although the rumination time was greater for tifton hay (P < 0.10) (429.05 min/day). The digestibility coefficient of dry and organic matter differed between the treatments (P < 0.10), with the soybean hull diet showing a higher level of digestion (83.23 and 86.72 %, respectively). The whole cottonseed diet gave the smallest digestibility coefficient of crude protein (68.95 %) and greatest for ether extract (85.94 %). The daily weight gain of animals fed on whole cottonseed was significantly lower (P < 0.10). On the basis of these findings, we recommend the use of tifton hay or soybean hulls as important additional source of fiber in forage spineless cactus diets for sheep in finishing phase.
authors.affiliation: Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros, Dois Irmãos, 52171-900 Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Suellen Brandão
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: de Miranda Costa
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Andrade Ferreira
authors.forename: Ricardo A Silva
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Pessoa
authors.forename: Angela Maria Vieira
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Batista
authors.forename: Alenice Ozino
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: Maria Gabriela
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: da Conceição
authors.forename: Luiz Henrique
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: dos Santos Gomes
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis*; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D029421:Cactaceae; D031744:Cynodon / Q000378:metabolism; D003889:Desert Climate; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000032:analysis*; D004063:Digestion; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D003368:Gossypium / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D034561:Sheep, Domestic / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D013025:Glycine max / Q000378:metabolism; D014329:Tropical Climate