The replacement of grass hay by cassava foliage hay or spineless cactus improves lamb performance.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of partial or total replacement of Tifton 85 hay with cassava foliage hay and/or spineless cactus on the weight gain, body measurements, ingestive behaviour, and parasite infection of confined sheep. Thirty-five non-castrated male lambs with no defined breed were housed in individual pens for 90 days. Five treatments in a complete mixture were offered twice a day: Tifton hay (TH), cassava foliage hay (CFH), Tifton hay + cassava foliage hay (TH + CFH), Tifton hay + spineless cactus (TH + SC), and cassava foliage hay + spineless cactus (CFH + SC). The data were evaluated by analysis of variance and Tukey's test at 5% probability. The dry matter and crude protein intake were higher in sheep fed CFH and CFH + SC than sheep fed TH. Animals fed TH + SC presented a higher average daily gain (0.215 g) than sheep fed TH (0.125 g). The addition of spineless cactus to the diet with Tifton hay increased the feed efficiency by approximately 100% but did not affect the faecal egg count/g. The use of cassava foliage hay and its association with spineless cactus is recommended for the replacement of Tifton 85 hay in the diet of confined sheep.

Ovines submitted to diets containing cassava foliage hay and spineless cactus forage: histological changes in the digestive and renal systems.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the histological alterations in the digestive and renal systems of 35 male ovines in Paraíba, Brazil, at around 16 ± 1.87 kg submitted to the following treatments for 90 days (15 of adaptation + 75 of experimental period): 1- Tifton hay (TH); 2- Cassava foliage hay (CH); 3-35% TH and 35% CH; 4-35% TH and 35% forage palm (FP), and 5-35% CH and 35% FP, based on dry matter (DM). Samples of the liver, kidney, rumen, and small intestine were histomorphometrically evaluated and the data were submitted to ANOVA analysis and Tukey post test at p ≤ 0.05. The use of alternative foods in the voluminous fraction (CH + FP) in the ovine diets did not compromise the performance of the animals; on the contrary, promoted better gain when compared with TH treatment (18.55 kg vs 9.42 kg). The CH + FP diet had a positive effect on papilla height. The papilla width decreased with the diets CH + FP and TH + FP. The thickness of the ruminal muscular layer were higher in the diets containing TH + CH and CH + FP. The keratinized layer of the ruminal epithelium was larger in the diet containing CH and FP. The villi of the intestinal crypts were deeper in the diets with FP and the villus/crypt ratio was the same in all diets. Goblet cells decreased with the CH or FP diet. Some renal changes were observed according to the diets, mainly when using FP. It is recommended to use CH and FP as a large fraction of the ovines diet, which will not alter animal performance.