Valor nutricional de fenos de capim buffel e capim elefante em diferentes idades de corte

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the intake and digestibility of nutrients of buffelgrass hay and elephant grass , and nitrogen balance in sheep fed diets with 50 % of these hays . The buffel grass and elephant grass were grown in the Experimental Stations IPA Sertânia and São Bento do Una , respectively , under rainfed conditions . Hays were made at four different ages of regrowth after throughout the year ( 56 , 112 , 168 and 224 days) , and evaluated in different trials , as ingredients of diets for sheep . The experiments were conducted at the Experimental Station Sertânia belonging to the Agronomic Institute of Pernambuco - IPA . In each trial, 24 of Morada Nova breed sheep with a mean weight of 15.2 kg were maintained in individual pens were used. Each experiment lasted 20 days with 15 days for adaptation to the experimental treatments five days for sample collection. Before conducting the first trial, all animals were subjected to a pre adaptation to experimental handling, lasting 20 days when fed diet containing hay to be evaluated , cactus pear cv. girl , ground corn , soybean and livestock urea. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with four treatments ( ages cutting hay ) and six replicates ( animals ) per treatment. Both animals subjected to diets containing buffelgrass as those given in the elephant grass hays made at 168 and 224 days of growth diet had lower DM intake compared to those fed hay made of the same grasses at 56 and 112 days growth .However , the digestibility of nutrients and nitrogen balance were not affected ( P < 0.05 ) as a function of the cut hay used . The hay grasses with cutting age at 56 days, provide improved DM intake and nutrients in the diet of sheep.