ABSTRACT
This study aimed to evaluate the performance of reproductive culled lambs kept in confinement, through weight gain, carcass yield, and the state of non-carcass components using two high concentrate diets (90%). One diet was formulated on the property compared to commercially available concentrate. The cost-benefits of each diet were analyzed and compared. We used 24 Corriedale lambs, aged 180 days weighing an average of 28 ± 4 kg. The animals were randomly separated into two groups: the commercial concentrate group (CC) which received 0.4% and 4% of their live weight in Tifton hay and commercial concentrate, respectively, and the property concentrate group (CP) received hay and a high-concentrate diet produced on the property (using whole grain corn as a base), in the same proportions. The study was conducted, for a period of 55 days, along with ten days of adaptation, until they reached 40 ± 2 kg body weight (BW). Animals in the property concentrate group achieved a higher average daily gain (0.232 kg/day), but there was no significant difference in carcass yield between the groups The weights of non-carcass components such as the liver, spleen, and kidneys with fat were higher in the concentrate group. The property concentrate group presented a net income of R$ 0.40, while the animals that received the commercial concentrate presented a negative income of R$ - 0.45, per day. Therefore, the use of a high-grain diet produced on the property under the conditions of this study allowed for better weight gain, and a better cost-benefit ratio.
Keywords
carcass yield; feedlot; high grain diet; sheep farming