Nutrient Intake, Performance, Carcass Characteristics, Meat Quality, and Cost Analysis of Sheep Submitted to Intermittent Supplementation on Masai Grass Pastures

Abstract

This study aimed to assess nutrient intake, performance, intake behavior, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of sheep managed on Masai grass pastures along with intermittent concentrate supplementation, in addition to the economic impacts of applying that strategy. A sample of 24 Santa Inês sheep (12 males and 12 females) was kept for 80 days on Panicum maximum cv. Massai pastures and was supplemented daily or every other day. The voluntary intake of dry matter and nutrients was estimated. Mean daily weight gain and total weight gain were calculated and intake behavior parameters were assessed. The males were slaughtered and the weight and yield of the carcasses and meat cuts were assessed. The meat was analyzed for cooking losses, shear force, and color. The gross margin of the system was estimated from the difference between total income and operational cost. No effect was seen of the interaction between supplementation frequency and sex for any parameter assessed (p > 0.05). Intermittent supplementation of Santa Inês sheep managed with Masai grass is recommended since the strategy does not impact nutrient intake, performance, intake behavior, carcass characteristics, or meat quality, but lowers the costs of producing 1 kg of meat by 15%.

Effects of Using Different Concentrate Supplementation Levels in Diets of Lambs Fed Tropical Aruana (Megathyrsus maximus) or Marandu (Brachiaria brizantha) Grass: Performance, Digestibility, and Costs of Production

“…In the past, pastures with unproductive grasses characterized by low nutritional value were exclusively used, resulting in low rates of stocking and animal productivity. Increasingly, livestock producers are adopting grazing intensification, which has higher operating efficiency; using tropical grasses with greater productive potential has benefitted farmers, increasing their production capacity [1] and reducing production costs [2].…”