The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of extrused roughage on nutritional and metabolic parameters in sheep. Eighteen 3-year-old sheep in metabolic cages were randomly assigned to two treatments: corn silage and extruded roughage. Dry matter intake (DMI) and water intake were calculated as the difference between offered feed and orts left. Ruminal movement was assessed through auscultation of the rumen for five minutes, glycemia and other metabolites through blood collection by jugular venipuncture, and feeding behavior by observation every 5 minutes for 24 hours. DMI per animal, both as a percentage of live weight and in relation to metabolic weight, was higher for animals fed extrused roughage. The extrused roughage treatment also resulted in reduced ruminal movement and higher dry matter digestibility (DMD), glycemia and drinking water intake. Animals fed with extrused roughage reduced the time of rumination and total chewing, thus increasing ingestion, chewing and rumination efficiency. Blood concentrations of glucose and urea were higher in animals fed extrused roughage, while cholesterol concentration was lower. We conclude that the use of extrused roughage promotes improvement in the nutritional parameters of sheep by increasing DMI and DMD, and reducing chewing and rumination times, without causing disorders in energy and protein metabolism.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of inclusion of different levels of protected lysine and methionine on the nutritional parameters and protein metabolites of lambs. The experiment was carried out at the Capim Branco Experimental Farm, at Uberlândia Federal University, during the months of September and October 2016. Five blood lambs ½ Dorper × ½ Santa Inês, approximately eight months old and with an average weight of 50 kg, were distributed in a Latin square scheme 5 × 5 (five treatments and five replicates). The treatments consisted of the inclusion in the diet of different levels of lysine and methionine protected from ruminal degradation (MicroPEARLS LM®): 0 g, 8 g, 16 g, 24 g, and 32 g. The diet was composed of corn silage and concentrate in a ratio of 30V:70C. The experiment was divided into five phases. Each phase had a duration of fifteen days (ten days of adaptation of the animals to the experimental diets and five days of data collection). The animals were kept in individual metabolic cages. A digestibility assay was performed to determine the apparent dry matter intake and digestibility (DMI/DDMI), nitrogen balance, and protein metabolites. The DMI (kg day-1) and in relation to the metabolic weight presented a positive linear equation, and was highest for the treatment with 32 g of amino acids, as well as the ingested nitrogen and nitrogen balance, being positive in all treatments. There was no difference (P > 0.05) in the DDMI. The crude protein and urea concentrations remained above the recommended levels and the concentration of creatinine remained below the recommended level. The inclusion of protected amino acids up to 32 g increases DMI and urinary nitrogen excretion without negatively affecting digestibility. The protein metabolism was altered, without causing damage to the performance of the animals.

The search for technologies to increase productivity of the herds, without increasing production costs, brings a positive highlight to extruded feeds, since these products act to maximize digestive efficiency. The objective was to evaluate the effect of using different levels of inclusion of extruded roughage to replace corn silage on nutritional and metabolic parameters in sheep. For this, 20 ewes aged over three years were used, housed in metabolic cages, distributed in a completely randomized design in four treatments, which consisted of different levels of inclusion of extruded roughage to replace corn silage (20%, 40%, 60% and 80%). Dry matter intake (DMI) and water intake were calculated by the difference between what was offered and what was left over. Blood glucose and energy and protein metabolites were obtained through blood collection by jugular venipuncture and subsequent laboratory analyses, and feeding behavior by observation every 5 min. for 24 h. DMI and water intake increased linearly with the inclusion of extruded roughage in the diet. The greater inclusion of extruded roughage reduced the total chewing time, consequently increasing the efficiency of ingestion, rumination and total chewing. The inclusion of extruded roughage in the diet of sheep increases the dry matter intake, without reducing the digestibility of nutrients, reducing the time spent on chewing.