Vegetable oils from cariri cearense plants for dairy cows in the final third of lactation

Abstract

The objective of this research was to evaluate the potential of using vegetable oils from pequi, macaúba and soy as additives in diets of dairy cows. The oils used were extracted from the lipid content of the almond of the respective fruits, added in a percentage of 2% to the concentrated ration, which was based on ground corn, soybean meal and vitamin mineral core. Along with the concentrated feed, fresh elephant grass was chopped into the trough in the proportion of 75% grass and 25% concentrate. Altogether, three treatments were used in a double 3x3 Latin square experimental design, using six multiparous adult cows without a racial pattern defined in the final third of lactation. The animals were housed in individual pens equipped with troughs and a drinking fountain. The experimental tests will consist of 23 days, with 16 days of adaptation and seven days of collection. Dry matter consumption and digestibility, ingestive behavior and milk production were evaluated. For the evaluation of dry matter consumption, the food supplied was weighed and after 24 hours the weight of the leftovers in the trough was quantified, and samples of the leftovers were taken during the experimental period. in a sample composed of animals per treatment, per period. To determine the digestibility of dry matter, feces were collected directly from the floor of each stall, quantifying fecal production during the 24-hour period, taking a sample of the feces throughout each experimental day and freezing. The ingestive behavior of the animals was evaluated through direct observations in the last two days of each experimental period. For the evaluation of milk production, the animals were milked every day in the morning and the milk was weighed individually for each animal and at the end of each experimental period the average production per animal and per treatment was calculated. The values ​​obtained for the variables were analyzed statistically using the computer software SAEG 9.1.