ABSTRACT. The aim of this study was to evaluate the inclusion of 50% broken rice (BR) in diets for meat quail from 1 to 35 days old, starting at different ages. A total of 875 mixed quail were allocated to five treatments in a completely randomized design with five replicates of 35 birds. The treatments consisted of a maize- and soybean meal-based control diet and four other similar diets in which the inclusion of 50% BR was started at different ages, namely, 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd days. Feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion and mortality rate were evaluated weekly. At 35 days, 10 quail per plot were weighed and selected to be slaughtered for evaluations of live weight, carcass yield and gizzard yield. Lastly, a study of economic viability was carried out. No significant difference (p > 0.05) was detected for the performance parameters, live weight or carcass yield, but a higher gizzard yield was found (p < 0.05) in the treatment without BR. The inclusion of BR from the first day of life provided better economic viability. Diets with a maximum inclusion of 50% BR can be formulated for meat quail at any age.

ABSTRACT. The aim of this study was to evaluate levels of inclusion of pinto beans in diets for quail in the laying phase on their performance and egg quality. A total of 280 Japanese quail in the laying phase were distributed into five treatments in a completely randomized design with eight replicates and seven birds per plot. Treatments consisted of five levels (0, 2, 4, 6, and 8%) of inclusion of pinto beans in the diets, which remained isoenergetic and isoproteic. The experiment began with the quail at 70 days of age and lasted 63 days, with their performance assessed every 21 days and egg-quality parameters on the last two days of each cycle. The following parameters were evaluated: final weight, feed intake, egg-laying rate, feed conversion (per dozen eggs and per egg mass), egg weight, eggshell thickness, specific gravity, yolk color, and weights of shell, yolk, and albumen. No difference was detected between the bean inclusion levels for any of the performance and egg-quality traits assessed or the birds' final weight. In conclusion, up to 8% raw pinto beans may be added in diets for Japanese quail in the laying phase without compromising their performance or internal-external egg quality.

ABSTRACT. This study evaluated the effect of replacing corn silage with spineless cactus, in combination with Tifton 85 hay or sugarcane bagasse, on the carcass measurements and sensory properties of the meat of lambs finished in feedlot. Twenty-one, intact, Santa Inês males, with an initial body weight of 22.86 ± 2.87 kg and an average age of 150 days, were individually confined for 74 days and fed at will three treatments diets: Corn silage (CS); Spineless cactus + Tifton 85 hay (CT) and Spineless cactus + sugarcane bagasse (CB). Lambs fed CT had a wider croup (p < 0.05) compared to animals fed CS. The replacement of corn silage with CT or CB did not influence (p > 0.05) the body length, withers height or chest circumference of the lambs. Values of carcass length and compactness index were similar (p > 0.05) between treatments. There was a high and positive correlation (p < 0.05) between chest width (0.82) and chest circumference (0.81) of animals with cold carcass weight. The odor and taste of sheep meat fed CT or CB was more accepted when compared to the meat of animals fed corn silage. The replacement of corn silage with spineless cactus in combination with Tifton 85 hay or sugarcane bagasse improves the sensory quality of sheep meat, but does not interfere with carcass measurements.