The experiment was conducted in the Sheep Division of Animal Science Department at UFLA in Lavras with the objective to determine the body composition and to estimate the calcium and phosphorus requirements for weight gain of Santa Inês pure lambs and their crossings with Bergamácia, Ile de France and Texel breeds. It was used 48 non castrated male lambs. Twelve lambs with average weight of 15 kg were slaughtered in the beginning of the experiment to evaluate the calcium and phosphorus body content by using as reference animals for the comparative slaughtered method. The animals remaining were slaughtered when they reached 25, 35 and 45 kg of live weight, respectively. The calcium and phosphorus body composition was estimated by prediction equations, obtained by the regression of the mineral empty body amount logarithm in function of empty body weight logarithm. The net requirements of calcium and phosphorus for gaining in weight were estimated from the derivation of the prediction equations of the body composition. The estimate of the body composition per kilogram of empty body weight for animals from 15 to 45 kg of live weight was: 14.641 to 11.637 g of Ca for the Santa Inês animals and 12.537 to 10.778 g of Ca for the other genetic groups. In the case of the phosphorus there were not differences among the genetic groups, and the values varied from 7.892 to 6.767 g of P. The net requirements per kilogram of live weight gain for animals from 15 to 45 kg of LW were, respectively: 9.50 g to 7.56 g of Ca for Santa Inês pure animals; 8.78 g to 7.54 g for the other animals. In the case of the phosphorus, this requeriments for animals of 15 kg of LW was of 5.5 g of P and for animals with 45 kg of LW was of 4.7 g of P.
Sheep; growth; requeriments; minerals
