Performance and nutrient digestibility on lambs fed diets containing different levels of babassu meal

With the objective to evaluate the performance, voluntary intake and nutrient digestibilities, 24 NDB ( no defined breed), non castrated male lambs with 20 +/- 3.25 BW initial and 4.6 +/- 0.8 months old were used. Animals were kept in feedlot and fed diets with babassu meal ( 0, 10, 20 and 30%) in substitution to Panicum maximum Jack hay. The diets, isoprotein and isonitrogenous, were fed in a complete mix ration. A completely blocks randomized design, with four treatments and six replicates was used. The dry matter intake was influenced by the inclusion of babassu meal in the diet and presented a reduction of 302 g/day for each 10% of babassu meal inclusion. Nutrient intake and performance were limited by the decrease of dry matter intake. The inclusion of babassu meal caused a linear decrease on average daily gain of lambs. Nutrient digestibility was influenced by inclusion of babassu meal in the diet, but this increase was a result of the reduction on dry matter intake. Babassu meal, used as an alternative feed for growing sheep, affect nutrient intake and weight gain of the animals.