Desempenho e comportamento ingestivo de novilhos suplementados a pasto com resíduo da fábrica de biscoitos e caroço de algodão

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the performance and ingestive behavior of pasture steers supplemented with residue from the biscuit factory and cotton meal offered at different levels. The experiment was carried out in the Sector of Bovinoculture of Cut of the Center of Agricultural Sciences (CECA) of the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL), from March to June 2017. Twenty-eight Nellore steers weighing 307.2 kg , ± 30.0 distributed in groups with approximate weights. Four levels of supplementation 0.0, 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9% of the live weight (PV) were evaluated once a day in the afternoon. A completely randomized experimental design with four treatments and seven replicates was used. Behavior evaluations were performed in two continuous periods of 12 hours, and the activities were recorded every 10 minutes by the visual evaluation method. The grazing times (P), ruminating lying (RD), ruminating standing (RP), total rumination (RT) standing leisure (OP), lying leisure (OD), total leisure and walking (A) differed statistically in the two periods evaluated, besides the effect of the supplementation, the characteristics of the pasture influenced the behavior change. The time of water intake (AI) and supplementation (S) were not significant in the evaluated periods. Performance responded positively to supplementation, linear effect was observed growing with evaluated levels. Supplementation with biscuit factory waste and cottonseed meal affected the ingestivo behavior of animals causing reduction in grazing and rumination, and increase in leisure time.