Dietas de alto concentrado contendo torta de dendê para cabras de descarte

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the inclusion of palm kernel, in high concentrate diets, for discarded goats finished in a feedlot on the productive, metabolic and behavioral parameters. Thirty-two SPRD (Without Racial Standard Defined) goats, not pregnant, with an initial body weight of 24.70 ± 3.72 kg were used. Animals were distributed in a completely randomized design, with four diets and eight replicates. Goats were fed with 200 g.kg-1 of Tifton-85 hay and 800 g.kg-1of concentrate mixture composed of ground corn, soybean meal, mineral premix, and the inclusion, on dry matter basis of 0; 120; 240 and 360 g.kg-1of palm kernel cake, which constituted the experimental diets. The inclusion of palm kernel cake in the diets promoted a positive quadratic effect (P<0.05) on the intakes of nutritional fractions and linear effect (P<0.05) on the dry matter and organic matter digestibility coefficients. The productive performance of the animals was also affected by the inclusion of palm kernel cake with quadratic effect (P<0.05) on the total and average daily weight gains. There was a positive quadratic effect (P<0.05) of palm kernel cake on retained nitrogen, and a linear reduction (P<0.05) on the nitrogen excretions via feces and urine. With the exception of gamma-glutamyltransferase plasma levels that reduced linearly (P<0.05), due to the inclusion of palm kernel cake, it was observed that the diets affected in a quadratic form (P>0.05) the serum concentrations of alanine-aminotransferase,aspartate- aminotransferase enzymes. Palm kernel cake can be included in high concentrate diets for goats up to the level of 111.2 g.kg-1.