INGESTIVE BEHAVIOR IN HEIFERS FED DIETS CONTAINING SUGARCANE TREATED OR NOT WITH CALCIUM OXIDE

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate the ingestive behavior of 18 Holstein-Zebu heifers with average initial live weight of 250 kg, confined in Tie Stall system with individual feeders and drinkers, divided in blocks, fed with sugarcane treated or not with 1% in natural matter of calcium oxide (CaO) after 24 hours of hydrolysis, at different times of administration of the mixture of urea and ammonium sulfate (zero and 24 hours). The animals were observed every ten minutes during 24 hours to determine the time (minutes) spent on feeding, water drinking, ruminating and idle. Differences between means were evaluated by SNK test at 5% significance. There was increased (P<0.05) of the period spent in the activity of rumination (106.72 minutes / kg DM) with the administration of the mixture of urea and ammonium sulfate 24 hours before the animal feeding. On average, the animals were approximately 5.86, 0.41, 9.43 and 8.30 hours respectively in feeding, drinking, ruminating and idle. There was neither benefit of inclusion of calcium oxide nor the addition of urea 24 hours before the animal feeding.