Desempenho de novilhos confinados alimentados com cama de frangos usando, como substrato, casca de café

Abstract

The experiment was carried out on the "Fazenda Vitorinha" belonging to Fundação de Apoio ao Ensino, Pesquisa e Extensão (FAEPE) in the City of Lavras MG - Brazil. It was utilized twenty castrated Nelore steers weighing 387kg. The experimental design was a complete block with five treatments and four replications. Each experimental unit was constituted by one steer, and the treatments were formed from a standard concentrate with no chicken litter on it. The other four treatments were formed by the substitution of part of the ingredients on the standard ration by increasing levels of chicken litter formed with coffee hulls. The four levels of chicken litter were: 10, 20, 30, and 40%. Besides the concentrates, the animals received elephant grass silage (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) cv. Camerom enriched with 2,5% wheat meals. The animals also received water and mineral salts 'ad libitum'. The rations were isoproteic and isoenergetics. The parameters studied were: live weight gain, food consumption, food conversion, cool and warm yield of commercial carcass, and the relationship of benefit/cost. There was no difference due to the levels of chicken litter utilized for none of the parameters studied. Under the condition of the experiment it was concluded that chicken litter made of coffee hulls can be utilized to fatten beef cattle steers during the dry season of the year. The performance of the steers dunng the feed lot was very good and the daily live weight gain varied from 0.850 to 1.120 kg/day/animal. Even though the use of chicken litter for fattening steers did not alter the benefit/cost relationship, it contributed to reduce the cost of the concentrate.