INDICADORES FECAIS DE BOVINOS NELORE ALIMENTADOS COM DIETAS DE ALTA PROPORÇÃO DE CONCENTRADO

The present work had as objective to evaluate the effects of high grain diets on fecal parameters in 20 Nellore bovines at 28 months of age. The experimental design was completely randomized. Treatments were constituted of the following diets: total mixed ration + sugarcane bagasse DT + BIN (10% in natura sugarcane bagasse, 54.52% ground sorghum, 10.94% cottonseed, 18% soybean hull, 2.54% soybean meal, and 4% premix); whole corn grain MGI (75% whole corn grain, 10% soybean hull, and 15% premix) and total mixed ration DT (44.41% ground sorghum, 16.7% cottonseed, 28.89% soybean meal, and 10% premix). For the assessment of feces pH and fecal starch, samples of feces were taken from the rectum of each animal on the 54 th , 55 th , 56 th and 57 th days of the experiment in the morning. Fecal pH was determined after the addition of 100 mL of distilled water in 15 g of fresh feces by the introduction of the tip of the electrode of a microprocessed pH meter. The remaining sample was stored in ice for later freezing. Fresh feces of the animals were evaluated daily during the whole experimental length in three periods aiming at evaluating occurrences of gut disturbances. Percentage means of fecal starch, fecal dry matter, pH in the site of starch fermentation and starch intake were not influenced by treatments (P>0.05). NDF of feces and score of fecal consistency were influenced by treatments (P