-Nutrient intake and digestibility and productive performance of 30 feedlot young bulls fed diets containing babassu mesocarp bran in replacement of corn were evaluated. Animals were distributed in a completely randomized design with five levels of replacement of corn by babassu mesocarp bran (BMB): 0, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 g/kg of dry matter, and six replications. The dry matter (DM) intake in kg/day, g/kg body weight (BW) and g/kgBW 0.75 increased as the corn was replaced by BMB. The intake of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and crude protein (CP) increased linearly, whereas the intake of non-fibrous carbohydrates (NFC) had quadratic behavior. The digestibility of DM, CP, NDF and NFC and the total digestible nutrients (TDN) showed quadratic behavior with points of minimum digestibility of 850.0, 638.0, 867.0, 638.0 and 833.0 g/kg dry matter of replacement of corn by BMB, respectively. The final weight (476.82 kg) and average daily gain (1.55 kg/day) were not affected by experimental diets. The feed efficiencies of DM and CP decreased with increase in the levels of BMB, but the feed efficiency of TDN was not changed. Babassu mesocarp bran enables satisfactory performance, and depending on the price and opportunity cost, it can be utilized in the feeding of feedlot cattle totally replacing the corn of the diet.

Objetivou-se avaliar o comportamento ingestivo durante 24 horas em oito períodos do dia, de 24 tourinhos Limousin x Nelore terminados em confinamento, alimentados com quatro níveis do subproduto gérmen de milho integral na dieta (0, 15, 30, 45%). O fornecimento de alimento (25% de volumoso e 75% de concentrado) foi realizado diariamente às 9:00 e 16:30 horas. A adição de gérmen de milho integral às dietas não influenciou os tempos despendidos em alimentação, dormindo e em outras atividades, nem as frequências de procura por água, micção e defecação. Os animais alimentaram-se mais nos períodos em que foram arraçoados, gastando em média 137,10 minutos por dia. Os animais dormiram mais à noite, das 2 às 5 horas, enquanto, o tempo despendido em outras atividades foi maior das 17 às 20 horas. Os níveis de gérmen de milho integral influenciaram o tempo de ruminação e de ócio de forma quadrática, com o nível de 30% apresentando maior tempo de ruminação (28,30% do tempo diário) e menor de ócio (42,24% do tempo diário). As atividades ruminação, ócio, alimentação, dormindo e outras atividades, além das frequências de ingestão de água, micção e defecação, comportaram-se de forma distinta para os diferentes períodos do dia. A inclusão de gérmen de milho integral à dieta de bovinos proporciona maior tempo de ruminação e modifica a distribuição desta atividade durante o dia. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: extrato etéreo; ócio; ruminação; subproduto agroindustrial; tempo de alimentação.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the energy value of diets containing babassu cake as a replacement for Tifton-85 hay (70, 140, 210, 280 and 350 g kg-1 dry matter, DM), using the technique of indirect calorimetry. Twenty-five castrated male Santa Inês sheep, with an average body weight of 49.6 + 9.4 kg, were used in a completely randomised design. The trial was carried out in an individual open-flow respirometry chamber for small ruminants, with each animal remaining for 24 hours inside the chamber. Gross energy and net energy intake were not affected by adding the cake. Digestible energy intake and metabolisable energy intake showed a linear response, ranging from 145.44 to 178.40 and from 121.85 to 158.08 kcal kg-0.75 day-1 respectively. The energy lost through faeces and methane (% of gross energy intake, GEI) showed decreasing linear behaviour, while the caloric increase, in %GEI, showed a quadratic response. The values for digestible energy and metabolisability presented an increasing linear response. The partial efficiency of use of metabolisable energy for maintenance ranged from 0.71 to 0.81, and showed a quadratic response; however, the net energy values did not differ. For every 10 g of added by-product, there was a reduction of 0.31 g of methane per kg of DM intake. The addition of babassu cake to replace up to 350 g kg-1 DM in sheep diets increases the energy efficiency of the diet and reduces methane emission by the animals.