Performance of beef heifers supplemented with sodium lasalocid.
Trop Anim Health Prod
; 49(2): 273-279, 2017 Feb.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-27957652
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted on 78 13-month-old crossbred beef heifers that weighed 215 kg in Southern Rio Grande do Sul (RS) State, Brazil. We evaluated the performance of beef heifers that were reared in a pasture system that received a mineral supplement energy-type protein with added sodium lasalocid (LAS). The heifers were randomly and uniformly divided into 2 groups, with 39 animals in each group. One group of animals received a mineral supplement energy-type protein without sodium lasalocid (CON), and the other group received a mineral supplement energy-type protein with added LAS. The mean feed intake, the body weight (BW), the average daily gain (ADG), the body condition score (BCS), and ovarian cyclicity were recorded, and economic parameters were calculated. No differences in supplement intake were observed between the groups, which ensures adequate intake of the other components of the mineral mixture, which are part of the nutritional requirements for the production process. Similarly, no difference in the ADG was observed between treatments. We observed that the heifers in the LAS group had a higher BW gain (51 kg) that the CON heifers (40 kg; P < 0.05). In addition, LAS-supplemented heifers had a higher BCS (3.53) than CON heifers (3.38) at the end of the experiment (P < 0.05). The heifers supplemented with LAS had a higher profitability than the CON heifers, even with the higher cost of the supplement containing LAS; this effect was due to the higher live BW at the end of the study. We concluded that the administration of a mineral supplement energy-type protein with added LAS has beneficial effects on beef heifers in terms of production and economic feasibility.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Bovinos
/
Aumento de Peso
/
Ionóforos
/
Lasalocida
Limite:
Animals
País/Região como assunto:
America do sul
/
Brasil
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Trop Anim Health Prod
Ano de publicação:
2017
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Brasil