Resumo

TESORERO, Merbis  e  COMBELLAS, Jorge. Supplementation of early weaned calves with Gliricidia sepium and concentrate. Zootecnia Trop. [online]. 2003, vol.21, n.2, pp.119-131. ISSN 0798-7269.

In order to evaluate some feeding strategies after weaning of calves receiving a base diet of chopped forage, an experiment was carried out to compare two levels of concentrate of 1 and 2 kg/day, with or without the supply ad libitum of gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium) foliage, and its effect on intake and live weight gain (LWG). Twenty four Bos indicus x Bos taurus calves were used, stalled in individual pens and the intake of diet components was determined from birth to weaning, at 17 weeks old, and during the following 12 weeks, when treatments were applied. LWG were 0.54 ± 0.20 kg/day before weaning and 0.49 and 0.68 kg/day (P<0.01) after weaning in treatments with 1 and 2 kg/day concentrate. The supply of gliricidia did not improve LWG, as a consequence of its low intake, of 0.30 and 0.47 kg/day, during the two months after weaning, when the animals had 5 and 6 months old. However, intake increased during the last month of the trial, with an estimated supply of metabolizable energy and crude protein similar to the treatment with 2 kg/day concentrate. It was concluded that the supplementation with gliricidia foliage after two months of early weaning is insufficient to substitute the use of 1 kg/day concentrate.

Palavras-chave : Calves; Weaning; Gliricidia sepium; Intake; Live weight gain.