title: Behavior of sheep fed babassu cake (Orbygnia speciosa) as a substitution for elephant grass silage.
abstract: This study aimed to evaluate the behavior of sheep fed babassu cake as a substitution for elephant grass silage. The experiment was conducted at the Federal Rural University of Amazonia (Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia - UFRA), Brazil, using 45 sheep housed in individual stalls, with unlimited access to feed and distributed in a completely randomized design with five treatments (0, 12.5, 25, 37.5 and 50% inclusion of babassu cake) and nine replications. All of the treatments contained a roughage-to-concentrate ratio of 40:60. No differences were observed in the time spent feeding (P > 0.05), regardless of the source of roughage used. However, there was a reduction in the time spent in rumination (P < 0.05) and an increase in time spent idling (P < 0.05) when babassu cake was included in the diet. Although there was a reduction in the time spent chewing the ruminal bolus (P < 0.05), the total daily chewing time was the same for all animals (P > 0.05). However, the sheep fed babassu cake showed higher feeding and rumination efficiency (P < 0.05). Therefore, the substitution of elephant grass silage with babassu cake can be performed at up to 50% without compromising the total time spent eating and chewing, which allows increased feeding and rumination efficiency.
authors.affiliation: Campus de Parauapebas, Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia, Parauapebas, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ernestina Ribeiro Dos Santos
authors.initials: ERDS
authors.lastname: Neta
authors.affiliation: Campus de Parauapebas, Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia, Parauapebas, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Kaliandra Souza
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.affiliation: Campus de Parauapebas, Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia, Parauapebas, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mezzomo
authors.affiliation: Campus de Parauapebas, Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia, Parauapebas, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daiany Íris
authors.initials: DÍ
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.affiliation: Campus de Parauapebas, Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia, Parauapebas, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luis Rennan Sampaio
authors.initials: LRS
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Departmento de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.
authors.forename: Francisco Fernando Ramos de
authors.initials: FFR
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Campus de Parauapebas, Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia, Parauapebas, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Janaina Barros
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Luz
authors.affiliation: Campus de Parauapebas, Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia, Parauapebas, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Natália Gomes
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Lacerda
authors.affiliation: Campus de Parauapebas, Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia, Parauapebas, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Venucia de Diniella Dos Santos
authors.initials: VDDS
authors.lastname: Bourdon
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis*; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D001938:Brazil; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary*; D004043:Dietary Fiber; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication / Q000502:physiology*; D006109:Poaceae; D012756:Sheep / Q000523:psychology*; D012820:Silage / Q000032:analysis*; D013279:Stomach, Ruminant / Q000502:physiology
keywords: chewing; particle size; roughage; rumination