USE OF SAWDUST OF PINE (Pinnus patula) AS A SOURCE OF FIBER IN DIETS FOR SHEEP IN FEEDLOTS

Abstract

Rations for sheep include 5 to 40 % of fibrous sources that can be used as cereal straws, alternate sources of oak or pine sawdust have been used; however its effectiveness has not been researched in depth. With the objective of using an alternative source of fiber in diets for sheep in feedlots, two treatments were assessed for four periods of 14 days each. There were two treatments, one with 30 % pine sawdust (SD) and another with 30 % corn straw  (CS). The variables evaluated were average daily gain (ADG), dry matter intake (DMI), ruminal pH, concentration of volatile fatty acids (VFA), and concentration of ammonia. A Completely Randomized Design was used and the data were analyzed using the procedure of repeated measurements. The ADG, concentration of propionic acid, and the average ruminal pH was higher (p<0.05) in the SD treatment, while the average concentration ammonia was higher (p<0.05) in the CS treatment.  There no were differences in DMI (p>0.05) between treatments. The results indicate the possibility of using pine sawdust as a source of fiber in diets for sheep in feedlots.