Keywords
By-product
Feed cost
Heifer performance
Nopalea cochenillifera Salm-Dyck.
How to Cite
Funding data
-
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais
Grant numbers APQ-03004-18 -
Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
Grant numbers 88881.923833/2023-01
Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the productive performance and economic viability of replacing cornmeal (CM) with spineless cactus meal (SCM) in the diet of female dairy calves. The experiment followed a completely randomized design with four treatments and six replicates. Twenty-four weaned 5/8 Girolando calves, with an initial body weight of 98.5 ± 16.88 kg and an average age of 131 days, were used. The experimental treatments included SCM at 0%, 12%, 22%, and 32% of the diet. Dry matter intake (DMI), average daily weight gain (ADG), and feed costs were evaluated. The in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of the concentrate supplements was also determined. IVDMD decreased linearly from 89.39% to 81.96% as the inclusion of SCM increased from 0% to 32%. Replacing CM with SCM had no significant effect on final weight, ADG, or DMI, which averaged 162.04 kg, 0.802 kg day-1, and 3.42 kg day-1, respectively. The cost per kilogram of weight gain was $1.14, $1.09, $1.04, and $1.27 for the 0%, 12%, 22%, and 32% SCM groups, respectively. Including SCM in place of CM at up to 32% of the diet does not affect weight gain, and the 22% inclusion level is the most economically advantageous.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Fernando de Melo Rocha, Pedro Pereira Santos Junior , Heloísa Thereza Ribeiro Fonseca, Hericka Sabriny Rodrigues Aguiar Dias, Ana Clara Dias Gusmão , Felipe Gomes da Silva, Luciana Castro Geraseev , Thiago Gomes dos Santos Braz, Mário Henrique França Mourthé