Effects of ammoniated pearl millet silage on intake, feeding behavior, and blood metabolites in feedlot lambs
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Effects of ammoniated pearl millet silage on intake, feeding behavior, and blood metabolites in feedlot lambs Thomaz C. G. de C. Rodrigues 1 & Poliane M. Freitas 1 & Edson M. Santos 2 & Gherman G. L. de Araújo 3 & Aureliano J. V. Pires 4 & Maria C. C. Ayres 1 & Lorendane M. de Carvalho 5 & Jocely G. Souza 1 & Gleidson G. P. de Carvalho 1 Received: 2 October 2018 / Accepted: 1 May 2019 # Springer Nature B.V. 2019
Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of urea as an additive in the ensiling of pearl millet on the intake, feeding behavior, and metabolic parameters of feedlot-finished lambs. Thirty-two uncastrated, mixed-breed male lambs were used in the experiment. Diets were composed of pearl millet silage enriched with 0, 2, 4, or 6% urea plus a concentrate containing ground corn, soybean meal, and a mineral mixture. The treatments did not affect feed intake (P > 0.05) but influenced (P < 0.05) eating time (in min/day, in min/kg of dry matter (DM), and in min/kg of neutral detergent fiber (NDF)) and chewing time in min/kg of DM. Eating efficiency (in g DM/h and in g NDFap/h) responded linearly (P < 0.05) to the increasing urea levels in the silages. By contrast, there was no effect (P > 0.05) of diets on the blood protein profile (total proteins and albumin), although the serum urea levels responded quadratically (P < 0.05). Increasing urea levels in the silage did not change the blood energy profile (cholesterol and triglycerides) or blood enzyme activity (alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and gammaglutamyl transferase (GGT); P > 0.05). In conclusion, the treatment of pearl millet silage with urea does not influence the DM intake or metabolic parameters of lambs, but leads to increased eating time and decreased eating efficiency. Keywords Additive . Idleness . Feed efficiency . Urea levels . Rumination
Introduction Sheep production is important in arid and semi-arid regions, where water availability is limited and producers are faced with the challenge of maintaining the supply of feedstuffs with good nutritional content all year round. Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.)) crop has gained attention in forage production due to its adaptability to low soil fertility, excellent biomass production capacity, rapid growth (Ramos et al. 2016), tolerance to acid sandy soils, and ability to grow on saline soils (FAO 2009). Additionally, * Gleidson G. P. de Carvalho [email protected] 1
Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia 40170-100, Brazil
2
Federal University of Paraíba, Aria, Paraíba, Brazil
3
Embrapa Semi-Arid, Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil
4
Southwest State University of Bahia, Itapetinga, Bahia, Brazil
5
Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
it grows during the dry season or in regions prone to dry spells and droughts (Santos et al. 2016), which are conditions under which sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. moench) or corn (Zea mays L.) would not develop satisfactorily (Carvalho et al. 2018). In semi-arid
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