Performance, carcass and meat quality of lambs fed with corn silages of sustainable crop-livestock system

• Grant number: 13/16472-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2013
• End date: September 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal Investigator: Rafael Silvio Bonilha Pinheiro
• Grantee: Rafael Silvio Bonilha Pinheiro
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FEIS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Ilha Solteira. Ilha Solteira , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Leandro Coelho de Araujo ; Marcelo Andreotti

Abstract

Brazilian sheep farming is in constant growth due to high internal demand of product, in addition to the profit elevation of a population parcel, which began to consume sheep meat in higher frequency. With higher meat demand, consumers request good quality products and accessible prices. Therefore, integrated crop-livestock system under no-tillage management has been used to lower forage production costs, lowering fertilizers quantities used due to organic residues surplus the preceding culture. Also, the system can generate profit by commercializing grains produced in consortium or lowering animal diet costs, once the material is ensiled and provide to animals, sincesilages of associated plants can present satisfactory energetic and protein levels for ruminants maintenance. The research will be held at the Education and Research Farm in the Sheep Farming Department, College of Engineering of Ilha Solteira (FE/UNESP) in order to evaluate the intake, performance, digestibility, carcass characteristics and meat quality of 24 ½ Dorper ½ Santa Ineslambs with approximately 15 kg and 60 days old, housed in individual cages and fed with corn silage exclusive (MS), corn silage intercropped with Urochloa brizantha var. MG-5 (MU) and corn silage intercropped with Panicum maximum var. Tanzania (MP) from integrated crop-livestock system under no-tillage management. Additionally, the economic analysis will be performed for lambs finished with these roughages. (AU)