An experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of replacing corn with by-product from biscuit manufacture (BBM) on feed intake, digestibility, nitrogen balance, ingestive behavior, and growth performance of pure or crossbred Morada Nova sheep. Twenty-four non-castrated male lambs from two genetic groups (GG) were used: purebred red-coated Morada Nova (RMN) and red-coated Morada Nova x white-coated Morada Nova. Each GG had 12 lambs with an initial body weight (BW) of 15.0±0.84 and 18.8±0.88 kg for RMN and crossbred lambs, respectively. Treatments were distributed in a completely randomized design, according to a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, as follows: two genetic groups (RMN and crossbred) and two diets (ground corn and by-product from biscuit manufacture-BBM) with six replicates. There was no effect (p > 0.05) of GG on feed intake (g/day and as a fraction of BW). Lambs fed BBM had a lower feed intake (p < 0.05) than corn-fed lambs, except for the non-fibrous carbohydrate intake, which did not differ among diets (p > 0.05). No effects (p > 0.05) of GG or diets were observed on apparent digestibility, except for organic matter, which was higher for BBM-fed lambs (p < 0.05). Intake and N urinary excretion were lower (p < 0.05) for BBM-fed lambs when compared to corn-fed lambs. There was no effect (p > 0.05) of GG on growth performance. On the other hand, lambs fed BBM diet had a higher (p < 0.05) feed efficiency than corn-fed lambs. Total replacing corn with BBM in finishing lamb diets increases the efficiency of nutrient utilization, which results in higher feed efficiency. The crossbreeding between the red- and white-coated strains of Morada Nova sheep does not affect nutritional and growth performance.
Keywords: By-product; Feed efficiency; Starch; Tifton 85; Tropical climate.
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