Resposta produtiva em bovinos de corte confinados recebendo silagem de dieta total versus dieta total extrusada e peletizada

Abstract

The use of total ensiled diet has grown in Brazil recently. However, questions arise about its usage limitations. Furthermore, extruded and pelletized total diet products require the same evaluation. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the impacts of using a total ensiled diet, with or without an adaptation protocol, as well as evaluating the use of a total extruded and pelleted diet, on the productive responses of confined beef cattle. The study involved 24 uncastrated male cattle, Zebu-Taurine cross, with an average body weight (BW) of 293 ± 18 kg and an average age of 24 months. The animals were kept in collective pens between the three treatments: 1) Animals receiving total diet silage without adaptation (SDT); 2) Animals receiving total diet silage with a ladder-type adaptation protocol (roughage:concentrate) (SDTA) and 3) Animals receiving a total extruded and pelleted diet with a ladder-type adaptation protocol (roughage:concentrate) (DTEP). The design was completely randomized with 8 replications and 5% significance. The average values of dry and organic matter consumption per day differed between treatments (P<0.05). Animals in the DTEP treatment showed higher (P<0.05) consumption of dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) 9.59 and 9.16 kg/day, respectively. The lowest consumption (P<0.05) was in the animals in the SDT treatment. The animals fed with SDT and SDTA did not differ from each other, but presented the best results (P<0.05) when compared to the animals in the DTEP treatment for feed efficiency, feed conversion, biological efficiency, gain and carcass yield. The average daily gain had no statistical difference between the treatments evaluated, with an average of 1.61 kg/day. The animals in the SDTA treatment presented the best values (P<0.05) of daily and total carcass gain, 1.08 kg/day and 155.49 kg, respectively, and the worst values were for the animals in the DTEP treatment. The average time of food consumption in the trough was longer (P<0.05) for the animals in the SDT treatment, followed by the animals in the SDTA treatment and finally the animals in the DTEP treatment, 1.51; 1.17 and 10.2 hours/day, respectively. It is concluded that for total diet silage, the use of an adaptation protocol does not present a statistical difference in the productive results of the animals, when compared to total diet silage without adaptation protocol, whereas the total extruded and pelletized diet results in greater consumption. and lower production performance.