Sugarcane bagasse as exclusive roughage for dairy heifers

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different concentrate levels (40, 50, 60, and 70% on dry matter basis) on intake, digestibility of nutrients, and performance of heifers fed sugarcane bagasse as exclusive roughage. Twenty Girolando heifers, with an average body weight of 198±25.6 kg were assigned to a completely randomized design, established according to body weight. The intake of dry matter (5.12 to 7.73 kg d–1), organic matter (4.72 to 7.32 kg d–1), crude protein (0.71 to 1.05 kg d–1), and digestible organic matter (3.09 to 4.77 kg d–1) linearly increased with the inclusion of concentrate in the diets. The final weight (238 to 299 kg d–1), body weight gain (0.50 to 1.20 kg d–1), and total weight gain (35.2 to 83.6 kg d–1) linearly increased with the concentrate levels. Considering the occurrence of the first calving at 24 months, a 50:50 ratio of sugarcane bagasse to concentrate seems to be the most appropriate for crossbred heifers.