Use of additives for Nellore steers in high forage diets

• Autor(a) principal: Miszura, Alexandre Arantes
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações da USP
• Texto Completo: https://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/10/10135/tde-04062021-132212/
• topic: Aditivos alimentares; Feed additives; Lasalocid; Lasalocida; Narasin; Narasina; Parâmetros ruminais; Ruminal parameters; Virginiamicina; Virginiamycin

This study aimed to compare the effects of the feed additives lasalocid, narasin and virginiamycin to cattle fed high-forage diet. The hypothesis was that the inclusion of these additives would improve nutrient digestibility, change rumen fermentation and, increase the performance of beef cattle fed high-forage diet. Two experiments were designed to evaluate the effects of lasalocid, narasin, and virginiamycin on apparent total tract nutrient digestibility, rumen fermentation characteristics, blood parameters, and performance of Bos indicus cattle fed high-forage diet. In Exp. 1, 32 rumen-fistulated Nellore steers (initial shrunk BW = 355 ± 4.4 kg) were assigned to a randomized complete block design (n = 8), according to their initial shrunk BW. Steers were fed daily and diets were composed of 99% of coastcross haylage and 1% of concentrate, used as a delivery vehicle for the additives. The experimental diets consisted of 1) forage-based diet without feed additives (CON); 2) 13 mg/kg DM of narasin (NAR); 3) 20 mg/kg DM of lasalocid (LAS); and 4) 20 mg/kg DM of virginiamycin (VM). The experimental period lasted 140 d, divided into 5 periods of 28 d each. The inclusion of feed additives did not affect the DMI (P = 0.46), consequently, did not affect the nutrients intake (P > 0.05). In addition, there was no difference in nutrient digestibility among diets (P > 0.05). There was an interaction between treatment x day (P < 0.01) for total SCFA, acetate, propionate, and acetate:propionate (A:P) ratio. Animals offered NAR had the greatest total SCFA values on days 84 and 112 (P < 0.05), whereas acetate concentration was lowest to NAR on days 28, 56, 112 (P < 0.05), and lower on day 140 in relation to CON and LAS(P < 0.05). The treatment NAR had the greatest propionate and lowest A:P ratio values on days 28, 56, 112 and 140 when compared to other treatments(P < 0.05). In Exp. 2, 160 Nellore yearling bulls were blocked (n = 10) by initial shrunk BW (212 ± 3.1 kg) in a 140-d feedlot trial. Bulls were fed daily and diets were composed of 96% of coastcross haylage and 4% of concentrate, used as a delivery vehicle for the additives. The treatment NAR had a greater ADG (P = 0.04) than CON and VM and was similar to the LAS. In turn, the animals that received LAS presented a similar ADG to those of the other treatments. The gain:feed (G:F) was greater (P = 0.05) for NAR than CON and VM. Besides, LAS supplementation increased (P = 0.05) the G:F compared with CON, with no difference compared to VM. Consequently, the treatment NAR had the greatest final BW (P = 0.03) than others. In conclusion, NAR improves rumen parameters and performance of yearling bulls fed high-forage diets and LAS improves feed efficiency.