ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of replacing ground corn (402 g kg−1 of dry matter) with rehydrated corn grain silage (RCGS; 425 g kg−1 of dry matter) in a flushing diet on follicular development in tropical Santa Inês ewes. Fifteen ewes were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: a diet with ground corn (control, n = 7) or a diet with RCGS (n = 8). The first day of the diets was designated d0, and the diets were fed for 30 days, up to two days after the end of the estrus synchronization protocol. The estrus synchronization protocol (intravaginal progestogen sponge for 11 days plus 300 IU eCG and 37.5 µg d-cloprostenol IM two days before sponge removal) started on d17 of the diets. The number and diameters of ovarian follicles ≥3 mm were assessed by ultrasound on the day before the diets were provided (d−1), on d14, and then daily from two days before sponge removal until ovulation or up to the eighth day after sponge removal. Blood samples were collected on days −1, 0, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 for glucose and urea analyses. There was no effect of the treatments on dry matter intake, plasma glucose, and urea nitrogen concentrations, or on the percentage of ewes that ovulated and on the number of ovulations. The number of follicles ≥3 mm did not differ between treatment groups; the number increased between d−1 and d14 and did not differ between d14 and d28. The diameter of ovulatory follicles at sponge removal, the interval from sponge removal to estrus, and the growth rate of the ovulatory follicles were greater in the RCGS group than in the control group, resulting in larger follicles at ovulation. Replacement of ground corn by RCGS in the flushing diet does not increase the number of ovulations but results in delayed onset of estrus and ovulation of larger follicles.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate residual feed intake (RFI), residual intake and body weight gain (RIG) and their relationship with other traits of efficiency, performance, and economic analysis of sheep. Lambs (n = 102) were evaluated during 56 days and a herd consisting of 500 ewes was simulated with the mean of dry matter intake (DMI) and final body weight of the lambs, the same as that of the experimental lambs. The lambs were fed hay-based diet of Tifton 85 (Cynodon spp.), corn, and soybean in the voluminous:concentrate ratio of 35:65. Residual feed intake and RIG were correlated with DMI, feed conversion ratio, and feed efficiency. Residual intake and body weight gain were positively correlated with average daily gain, relative growth rate, and Kleiber's rate. The most efficient production systems (lower RFI and higher RIG) had lower costs and higher profit margins. The net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) were higher in systems with more efficient lambs. In systems with less efficient lambs, NPV and IRR were negative and lower, respectively. Efficient animals for RFI and RIG showed satisfactory performance and better economic results.

Performance, carcass, non-carcass and commercial cuts and components of Texel × Santa Inês crossbred lambs, managed in confinement and fed diets based on soybean oil, soybeans and a conventional diet, with or without the use of monensin (78 ppm dry matter basis) were evaluated. Thirty-six Texel × Santa Inês lambs (18 males and 18 females) were managed in intensive systems. Animals were slaughtered after 87 days of confinement, and performance, carcass characteristics, weight and percentages of carcass and non-carcass components were evaluated. The animals fed the control diet had heavier carcass and parts than animals fed soybean, while the oil diet did not differ from the controls in most parameters. The animals fed soybean showed lower intake kg dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and metabolizable energy (ME) compared with animals fed the control diet, increased ether extract (EE) intake in kg, % body weight (BW) and metabolic weight (MW) and did not differ from the soybean oil diet. Animals receiving monensin had lower DM intake, OM, CP, EE, NDF, gross energy (GE) regardless of the expression, % kg BW, or % PM, than the animals that did not receive the additive. Males produced better and had heavier cuts than the females; the latter deposited subcutaneous fat earlier. Animals that received oil or soybean showed greater body weight and small intestine percentage. Soybean oil intake did not improve performance, carcass weights or parts of Santa Ines × Texel lambs in confinement. Soybeans at 15% dry matter reduced energy intake and lamb performance. The use of monensin at 78 ppm on a dry matter basis is not recommended for lambs in confinement, especially if associated with oil or soybeans that may harm animal performance.

This experiment aimed to determine the influence of diets with inclusion of protected fat and vitamin E on performance, yield and carcass characteristics of feedlot lambs with different weights. Thirty-two non-castrated Santa Ines lambs were fed diets with a ratio of 40% forage and 60% concentrate ad libitum, with presence or absence of protected fat and/or vitamin E, in a total of four diets. Two weights of early containment were also considered: between 20 and 25 kg and between 30 and 35 kg. All animals were slaughtered at 84 days of confinement. Animals fed diets without addition of protected fat, regardless of the use of vitamin E, had the highest intakes of dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber and ash, and decreased intake of ether extract. The variables investigated did not affect daily weight gain and total gain. Feed conversion was better for the lighter confined animals not fed protected fat. The heavier feedlot lambs fed diets with vitamin E showed higher cold carcass. The warm carcass for the lighter animals confined fed with vitamin E, and the heavier ones, fed with protected fat and vitamin E, showed the best yields of cold carcass. Objective measures of the carcass cold had the highest mean for heavier feedlot lambs. The addition of fat in the diet reduces the intake of dry matter and increases the ether extract. Although the inclusion of vitamin has no effect on intake of nutrients, it protects the carcasses from losses during cooling, and weight differences at containment directly reflect the measures of the carcasses.

Cento e três cordeiros, machos e fêmeas, Santa Inês puros (SS) e cruzas com Texel (TS), Ile de France (FS) e Bergamácia (BS) foram utilizados no estudo do crescimento alométrico dos cortes. Os animais foram confinados em gaiolas individuais e abatidos aos 15, 25, 35 e 45 kg de PV. Após abate e resfriamento da carcaça, foram feitos os cortes: pescoço, costela/fralda, costeleta, lombo, paleta e perna, sendo esses dois últimos sem os braços, para avaliação do crescimento alométrico individual em relação ao corpo vazio (PCVZ). O crescimento alométrico do pescoço foi isogônico em todos os grupos, à exceção do grupo Santa Inês x Bergamácia (crescimento heterogônico positivo), comprovando que esse corte cresce de forma semelhante ao PCVZ. Os machos TS e FS apresentaram ritmo de crescimento do pescoço menor que o dos machos BS. A costela/fralda, em todos os grupos, teve crescimento lento entre os pesos avaliados, observando-se que, nos grupos TS e FS o ritmo de crescimento foi maior que no grupo SS. Nos machos, o desenvolvimento da paleta foi semelhante ao PCVZ, enquanto, nas fêmeas, foi lento em relação ao PCVZ. O desenvolvimento da costeleta e do lombo foi lento em todos os grupos, à exceção das fêmeas FS, nas quais acompanhou o PCVZ; os coeficientes alométricos de costeleta nesses animais foram menores que nos demais outros grupos. O desenvolvimento da perna foi similar ao PCVZ nos machos SS, TS e FS e nas fêmeas FS, porém, foi menos intenso nos machos BS e nas fêmeas SS, TS e BS.

This study was conducted using 103 male and female lambs from the following genetic groups: purebred Santa Inês (SS) and crossbreds of Santa Inês x Texel (TS), Santa Inês x Ile de France (FS), and Santa Inês x Bergamacia (BS). Animals were slaughtered at one of the following body weights: 15, 25, 35 or 45 kg. After slaughter and cooling of the carcasses, the following cuts were made: neck, rib/flank, short ribs, loin, blade, and hindlimb. The alometric growth of each cut in relation to the empty body weight (EBW) was measured. The alometric growth of the neck was isogonic (b=1) for most genetic groups and accompanied EBW growth. However, for BS lambs the growth was heterogonic (b>1) or slow growth. TS and FS male lambs showed slower neck growth rate compared to the BS lambs. The rib/flank had slow growth for all groups but TS and FS lambs showed greater growth rate than the SS animals. For males, the blade development followed the EBW while females had a slower growth rate. The development of short ribs and loin was slow for all groups, except on FS female lambs, in which both short ribs and loin growth followed that of EBW; the alometric coefficients obtained for short ribs were lower on FS female lambs compared to those of the remaining genetic groups. The development of hindlimb accompanied the EBW for SS, TS and FS males and also for FS female lambs.

O trabalho foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de estudar o efeito do sexo dos animais, do grupo genético e do peso de abate no desempenho de animais confinados. Foram utilizados 103 cordeiros, machos e fêmeas, Santa Inês puros (SS) e cruzas Santa Inês com Texel (TS), Ile de France (FS) e Bergamácia (BS), confinados em gaiolas individuais. Mediram-se a dieta fornecida e as sobras diárias, para cálculo do consumo de matéria seca (MS), energia metabolizável (EM), proteína digestível (PD) e fibra em detergente neutro (FDN). Os cordeiros foram abatidos em quatro pesos: 15, 25, 35 e 45 kg de peso vivo. Avaliaram-se o ganho de peso diário (GPD), o número de dias no confinamento (ND), a conversão alimentar (CA) e o consumo de MS, PD, EM e FDN, nas três fases de crescimento: 15 a 25 kg (1), 25 a 35 kg (2) e 35 a 45 kg (3). Também foram avaliados as idades de abate (IA), o peso do corpo vazio (PCVZ) e rendimento de carcaça (RC). Aos 35 e 45 kg, os cordeiros TS e FS apresentaram IA inferiores e as cordeiras SS, IA superiores. O ND dos cordeiros BS de 35 a 45 kg foi maior que dos TS. Aos 35 e 45 kg, o PCVZ dos cordeiros TS e FS foram menores. Os melhores GPD foram dos cordeiros TS, seguidos do FS e SS. Os consumos de MS, PD, EM e FDN foram semelhantes entre os grupos genéticos, nas fases 1 e 2 de crescimento. Verificou-se que os cordeiros TS tenderam a aumentar o consumo, com o incremento de peso, enquanto os outros grupos tenderam a diminuir. A CA elevou-se com o aumento de peso, com exceção dos machos FS. Os machos não apresentaram diferenças na CA entre os grupos genéticos, entretanto, as fêmeas TS e FS apresentaram valores melhores. Aos 35 e 45 kg, as fêmeas apresentaram maiores RC que os machos. Aos 35 kg, os melhores RC foram dos machos TS.

The work was carried out to evaluate the effect of animal sex, genetic group and slaugher weight on fedlot lambs performance. One hundred and three male and female lambs, purebred Santa Inês (SS) and crosses between Santa Inês and Texel (TS), Ile de France (FS) and Bergamacia (BS) were fedlot in individual cages. Diet and orts were daily collected to calculate the intakes of dry matter (MS), metabolizable energy (EM), digestible protein (PD) and neutral fiber detergent (FDN). The lambs were slaughtered at four weights: 15, 25, 35 and 45 kg of live weight. Weight gain (GPD), number of days in confinement (ND), feed:gain ratio (CA) and intakes of MS, PD, EM and FD were analyzed during three growing phases: 15 to 25 kg (1), 25 to 35 kg (2) and 35 to 45 kg (3), for each genetic group and each sex. The slaughter age (IA) and the empty body weight (PCVZ) were also analyzed. At high weights, TS and FS male lambs showed inferior IA, and the female lambs, superior IA. ND of BS lambs from 35 to 45 kg was superior than TS lambs. From 35 to 45 kg, PCVZ of TS and FS lambs was inferior. The best GPD was observed for TS lambs, followed by FS and SS. The intakes of MS, PD, EM and FDN were similar among the genetic groups, during the phases 1 and 2. TS lambs intake tended to increase as body weight increased, whereas the other groups showed tended to decrease. CA increased as slaughter weight increased. The males did not show differences in CA among the genetic groups, but TS and FS females showed better results. At 35 and 45 kg, the females showed superior RC than the males. At 35 kg, the TS males showed better RC than the other groups.

Foram utilizados 103 cordeiros, machos e fêmeas, Santa Inês puros (SS) e cruzas Santa Inês com Texel (TS), Ile de France (FS) e Bergamácia (BS), confinados em gaiolas individuais. Os cordeiros foram abatidos em quatro pesos: 15,0; 25,0; 35,0 e 45,0 kg de peso vivo. Após o abate e resfriamento da carcaça, foram feitos os seguintes cortes e calculadas as porcentagens em relação ao peso da carcaça fria: pescoço (PP), costela/fralda (PCF), costeleta (PC), lombo (PL), paleta (PPA) e perna (PPE), sendo esses dois últimos sem os braços. Os pescoços praticamente não variaram com o aumento dos pesos de abate. Os pescoços dos cordeiros TS e FS foram menores, comparados aos dos cordeiros SS e BS, na maioria dos pesos de abate estudados. A paleta também não variou com o aumento dos pesos de abate, havendo tendência para diminuição. Aos 45 kg, os cordeiros TS e FS apresentaram PPA maiores em relação aos cordeiros SS e BS. Nos outros pesos de abate, praticamente não houve diferenças para PPA entre os grupos genéticos. A costela/fralda elevou-se com o aumento dos pesos de abate, sendo que, em pesos de abate elevados, os cordeiros TS mostraram maiores proporções. Para a PC, praticamente não houve diferenças entre os pesos de abate. As fêmeas FS, entretanto, aos 35 e 45 kg, apresentaram menores PCF que os machos FS. O lombo tendeu a elevar-se com o aumento dos pesos de abate, mas foram detectadas diferenças para os animais abatidos aos 15 kg, em relação aos outros pesos de abate. Entre os grupos genéticos, praticamente não houve diferenças para PL. As pernas diminuíram com o aumento dos pesos de abate. Aos 35 kg de peso vivo, os cordeiros machos TS e as fêmeas FS obtiveram melhores PPE em relação aos outros grupos genéticos.

One hundred and tree male and female lambs, pure Santa Inês (SS) and crosses between Santa Inês and Texel (TS), Ile de France (FS) and Bergamacia (BS), were used. They were confined in individual cages. The lambs were slaughtered at four weights: 15.0, 25.0, 35.0 and 45.0 kg live weight. After slaughter and cooling of the carcasses, the following cuts were made: neck (PP), rib/flank (PCF), rack (PC), loin (PL), shoulder (PPA) and leg (PPE), these last two without the arms. Necks practically did not vary with the increase of slaughter weights. Necks of TS and FS lambs were smaller, compared to the SS and BS lambs, in most of the studied slaughter weights. Shoulders also did not vary with the increase of slaughter weights with a tendency to decrease. At 45 kg, TS and FS lambs presented greater PPA in relation to SS and BS lambs. In other slaughter weights, pratically there were no considerable PPA differences between the genetic groups. Rib/flanks increased with the increase of slaughter weights, and, in higher slaughter weights, the TS lambs showed greater proportions. For CP, there was practically no difference among slaughter weights. Ile de France females, however, at 35 and 45 kg, showed PCF smaller than FS males. Loins tended to increase with the increase of slaughter weights, but differences were detected in the animals slaughtered at 15.0 kg, in relation to the other slaughter weights. Among the genetic groups there was no difference for the PL. Legs decreased with the increase of slaughter weights. At 35 kg live weight, the male TS and the female FS lambs obtained better PPE in relation to the other genetic groups.

Trinta e seis cordeiros, 12 cruzas Texel x Bergamácia (TB), 12 cruzas Texel x Santa Inês (TS) e 12 puros Santa Inês (SI), foram confinados individualmente, por um período de 50 dias. Cada grupo genético consistiu de seis machos inteiros e seis fêmeas, recebendo três diferentes dietas experimentais: 1 = sem casca de café (dieta controle); 2 = com casca de café in natura; e 3 = com casca de café tratada com uréia e grão de soja moído. Os animais foram abatidos com idade média de 180 dias; posteriormente, foram avaliados os cortes da carcaça fria e a composição em músculo, osso e gordura da perna, paleta e do lombo. Para os outros cortes da carcaça e composição da perna, paleta e lombo, a utilização da casca de café, tratada ou não, não afetou os pesos. Os cordeiros SI mostraram menor peso para o músculo da perna e do lombo. O grupo genético não influenciou significativamente os pesos dos outros componentes, somente a paleta apresentou significância, indicando ser mais pesada para os animais TB e TS. Os machos apresentaram pesos maiores para braço posterior e anterior, pesos dos músculos da paleta, perna e lombo, e ainda, pesos maiores dos ossos da paleta e do lombo.

Thity-six lambs, 12 crossbred Texel x Bergamácia (TB), 12 crossbred Texel x Santa Inês (TS) and 12 purebred Santa Inês (SI) lambs were individually finished in fedlot for 50 days (from 130 to 180 days of age). Each genetic group consisted of six males and six females, fed three different diets: 1 = without coffee hulls (control); 2 = with in nature coffee hulls; 3 = with treated coffee hull with urea and grounded soybean grain. The animals were slaughtered at 180 days, in average. Then, the cold carcass cuts and the composition in muscle, bone and fat of the leg, shoulder and loin were evaluated. The use of the coffee hull, treated or not, did not affect the weight of the other carcass cuts and the composition of the leg, shoulder and loin. Santa Inês lambs showed smaller weight for the leg and loin muscle. The genetic group did not influence the weights of the others components, only the shoulder tended to show significant effect, indicating to be heavier for TB and TS animals. The males showed higher weights for posterior and previous arms, weights of the muscles of the shoulder, leg and loin and, also, higher bone weights of the shoulder and loin.

Foram utilizados 12 cordeiros cruzas Texel x Bergamácia (TB), 12 cordeiros cruzas Texel x Santa Inês (TS) e 12 cordeiros puros Santa Inês (SI), confinados individualmente por 50 dias (dos 130 aos 180 dias de idade). Cada grupo genético constou de seis machos inteiros e seis fêmeas, recebendo três dietas diferentes: 1 = sem casca de café (controle); 2 = com casca de café in natura; 3 = com casca de café tratada com uréia. O rúmen/retículo (RR) dos animais que receberam as dietas 2 e 3 foram mais pesados em relação ao RR dos animais submetidos a dieta 1. O abomaso (ABO), fígado (FIG) e pâncreas (PAN) dos cordeiros alimentados com a dieta 3 foram mais leves comparados aos que receberam as dietas 1 e 2. Os cordeiros cruzas TB e TS apresentaram maior peso para a cabeça (CAB), pés/canelas (PEC), omaso (OMA), ABO, intestinos delgado (IND) e grosso (ING). Os machos apresentaram sangue (SAN) e RR mais pesados que as fêmeas. Os pesos de pele (PEL), gordura (GOR), esôfago/traquéia (ET), coração (COR) e pulmão (PUL) também foram analisados e não foram afetados pelas dietas, pelos grupos genéticos e pelo sexo. As fêmeas apresentaram tendência de maior proporção de GOR.

Twelve crossbred Texel x Bergamácia (TB), 12 crossbred Texel x Santa Inês (TS) and 12 purebred Santa Inês (SI) lambs were individually finished in fedlot for 50 days (from 130 to 180 days of age). Each genetic group consisted of six males and six females, fed three different diets: 1 = without coffee hulls (control); 2 = with coffee hulls in nature; 3 = with coffee hulls treated of with urea. The rumen/reticulum (RR) of the animals fed diets 1 and 3 were significantly heavier than those fed diet 1. The abomasum (ABO), liver (FIG) and pancreas (PAN) of the lambs fed diet 3 were lighter than the animals fed diet 2. The TB and TS of crossbred lambs showed greater weights of head (CAB), foot/shin (PEC), omasum (OMA), abomasum (ABO), small intestine (IND) and large intestine (ING). The males showed heavier weights of blood (SAN) and RR than the females. The weights of skin (PEL), fat (GOR), esophagus/trachea (ET), heart (COR) and lung (PUL) were also analyzed and were not affected by the diets, genetic groups and sex. However, GOR content tended to be greater for females.