The work was carried out to evaluate the voluntary intake, feed conversion and weight gain of bovines in feedlot, fed with elephantgrass silage (Penisetum purpereum, Schum.) with and without acipin associated with two protein sources, and to evaluate also the digestibility of dry matter of elephantgrass silage. The experimental feedlot was conducted during 167 days, with 28 steers, average 24 months old and initial average live weight of 310 kg. Four rations (T1: silage with acipin and urea; T2: silage with acipin and soybean meal as protein source; T3: silage without acipin and urea and; T4: silage without acipin and soybean meal as protein source) were used. The silage was fed once a day, in the morning, and the concentrate (4 kg/animal/day) twice, in the morning and afternoon. Average daily dry matter intakes (kg) were: T1- 6.38; T2- 6.83; T3- 6.59 and T4- 6.78. Feed conversions (kg of dry matter/kg weight gain) were, T1- 11.15; T2- 11.51; T3- 12.79 and T4- 10.46. The average daily weight gains were: T1- 0.552; T2- 0.593; T3- 0.515 and T4- 0.648. Dry matter intake, weight gain and feed: gain ratio of steers were not different among treatments. No differences were observed on dry matter digestibility coefficients of elephantgrass silages with and without acipin.
digestibility; industrial residue; lactic acid; nutritive value; feedlot
