Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o desempenho produtivo e as características da carcaça de cordeiros alimentados com silagens de diferentes tipos de sorgo e milho. Foram utilizados 32 cordeiros machos, da raça Suffolk. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado, com quatro tratamentos (silagens) e oito repetições (animais). Foram testadas silagens de sorgo forrageiro GrandSilo, sorgo sacarino BRS 506, sorgo sacarino BRS 511 e milho híbrido duplo BRS 2223. Os cordeiros alimentados com silagens de sorgo apresentaram menor consumo diário de matéria seca que os alimentados com silagem de milho. A dieta contendo silagem de milho proporcionou ganho de peso 27% superior ao dos tratamentos com as demais silagens. A digestibilidade in vivo não diferiu entre as diferentes silagens. Os cordeiros alimentados com silagem de milho apresentaram os menores rendimentos de carcaça quente e fria, de 44,71 e 42,62%, respectivamente, enquanto os que consumiram silagem de sorgo BRS 506 apresentaram os maiores rendimentos de carcaça quente e fria, de 46,90 e 44,78%. O maior consumo e o melhor desempenho dos animais alimentados com silagem de milho não foi suficiente para incrementar a produção e o rendimento de carcaça. Os cordeiros alimentados com silagem de sorgo sacarino BRS 506 apresentam maior eficiência de conversão da silagem em carcaça.

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the productive performance and carcass traits of lambs fed silages of different types of sorghum and corn. Thirty-two uncastrated male Suffolk lambs were used. The experimental design was completely randomized, with four treatments (silages) and eight replicates (animals). Silages of the GrandSilo forage sorghum, BRS 506 saccharine sorghum, BRS 511 saccharine sorghum, and the BRS 2223 double-grain corn hybrid were tested. The lambs fed sorghum silages had a lower daily dry matter intake than those fed corn silage. The diet containing corn silage led to 27% greater weight gain, when compared with the treatments with the other silages. In vivo digestibility did not differ among the different silages. Lambs fed corn silage showed the lowest hot and cold carcass yields of 44.71 and 42.62%, respectively, whereas those that consumed BRS 506 sorghum silage showed the highest hot and cold carcass yields of 46.90 and 44.78%. The greater intake by and the better performance of the animals fed corn silage was not enough to enhance production and carcass yield. Lambs fed BRS 506 saccharine sorghum silage have higher efficiency in the conversion of silage into carcass.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate fermentation losses and the nutritional value of silage of Brachiaria brizantha cv BRS Piatã ensiled with different levels of crude glycerin. The experiment followed a 4 × 2 completely randomized factorial design with four doses of crude glycerin (0, 100, 200, and 300 g kg–1 of DM silage) and two cutting ages (45 and 60 days) with four replicates per treatment (silos). The parameters of dry matter losses, effluents losses, gas losses, pH, microbial population, and nutritional value of the silage were evaluated. There was no difference in pH among the tested doses of crude glycerin. However, reductions in dry matter and gas losses were observed as a function of crude glycerin doses. Bacterial populations of lactic acid and facultative mesophilic anaerobes also increased as a function of crude glycerin inclusion. Crude glycerin increased ether extract levels and reduced neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber concentrations (dilution effect), improving chemical composition of the silage. Crude glycerin can be used in the ensiling of Piatã grass and the dose of 300 g kg–1 of DM yields the best results.