The objective was to evaluate the effect of supplemention of young bulls, under grazing, in the rainy season period. The experiment was conducted at the Braga Farm in Araponga, MG, in the period from january to april of 1999. Using twenty four young bulls with 335 kg LW of initial body weight, and nine fistulated steers, in Gordura (Melinis minutiflora) and Brachiaria radicans grass. Three comercial supplements were used: mineral salt supplement (SM), corn-wheat meal and urea based protein supplement (MT) and wheat-soybean meal based protein supplement (TS). A completely randomized experimental design was used, the means were compared by SNK test at 5% probability. The animals, groups of eight, were allotted to three paddocks and showed average daily gain of 0.60, 0.76 and 0.88 kg/animal/day for the SM, TS e MT, supplement. There was no difference between the protein supplements, the supplement intake was 0.13, 0.23 and 0.20 kg/animal/day, for SM, TS e MT, respectively. The concentration of ruminal amonia was larger for the animals supplemented with MT and the pH for all treatments was manteined above 6,2. The animals feeding protein supplement, have better performance, when compared with those feed SM.
braquiária; multiples mixture; Nellore; performance; protein supplementation; rainy supplementation
