Silagens de milho com diferentes inclusões de farelo úmido de glúten de milho

Abstract

The wet corn meal feed (WCGF) is a co-product resulting from wet corn industrialization process, has great potential for use in animal diet, however the information on its use and its nutritional quality when ensiled together with corn are scarce in tropical regions. Thus we conducted an experiment to evaluate the intake, digestibility and feeding behavior in sheep fed with corn silage with different levels of WCGF, and the particles of their distribution profile. Five sheep were used mongrel arranged in latin square design (5x5), housed in metabolic cages distributed in five treatments, receiving the following diets: corn silage without adding WCGF, corn silage with addition of 30%, 50 %, 60% and 90% WCGF in natural matter, respectively. The chemical composition of the diets ranged 32-39% for dry matter; 9-19% for crude protein; 46-56% for neutral detergent fiber, and 13-29% for acid detergent fiber. All data were submitted to analysis of variance, and regression at 5% probability. There was a significant difference to the particle distribution profile (%) of the silages (P <0.05), with inverse relationship between the level of inclusion of WCGF and the particle size, except for particles smaller than 1.18 mm where there was no difference. There was quadratic effect for dry matter intake with maximum consumption of 1,75 kgday-1 to 39.09% inclusion of WCGF. The crude protein consumption suffered ascending linear effect with the inclusion of co-product. The apparent digestibility of DM, CP and NDF increased linearly with increasing inclusion of co-product in corn silage. The rumination time, total chewing, and idleness were influenced by the increase in the inclusion of FUGM in corn silage, there was a decreasing linear effect for the time ruminating, and total chewing, and increasing linear effect for time at leisure. The chewing time per bolus (CTM), and the number of chews per bolus (NCB) were influenced by the addition of WCGF in maize silage, where for every percentage increase of one unit WCGF corn silage decreases in 0.21 seconds CTM, and 0.24 chews the NCB. It indicates the inclusion of up to 40% of FUGM in corn silage without compromising intake, apparent digestibility and the normal animal feeding behavior.