Ruminal degradability of nutrients of Angus and Nelore cattle fed high-moisture corn and sodium monensin

• Grant number: 19/26203-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2020
• End date: April 30, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Nutrition and Feeding
• Principal Investigator: Danilo Domingues Millen
• Grantee: Daniel Moretto Casali
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Tecnológicas. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Dracena. Dracena , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of different nutritional strategies during the adaptation and finishing period on the ruminal degradability of cannulated Angus and Nellore cattle. Four 30-mo-old Nellore and four 30-mo-old Angus steers will be used, with initial body weight of approximately 450 kg, which will be divided into two 4 x 4 Latin squares, where each square will be composed of animals from same breed. The periods will be divided as follows: 14 days of adaptation diet (5 days of adaptation 1- 65% concentrate, 4 days of adaptation 2- 70% concentrate and 5 days of adaptation 3- 75% concentrate) and 18 days of finishing diet (80% concentrate). The diets provided will differ only with respect to the corn grain processing method and the presence or absence of sodium monensin. The treatments will be as follows: T1) Finely ground corn + monensin (27 ppm); T2) Finely ground corn T3) High moisture corn + monensin (27 ppm) and T4) High moisture corn. The study will last 149 days, in which animals will be submitted to four experimental periods (32 days each one) and three washout intervals (7 days) between the periods 1 and 2, 2 and 3 and 3 and 4. The nutrients degradability will be analyzed during the finishing period.