Comportamento ingestivo de vacas em lactação alimentadas com dietas contendo tanino

Abstract

The objective of from this study to evaluate the influence of the inclusion of tannin levels on the ingestive pattern of lactating crossbred cows. We used a 5 x 5 Latin Square design, with 5 tannin levels in the diet (0, 1.3, 2.6, 3.9, and 5.2% on DM basis) and 5 cows crossbred primiparous (Holstein x Zebu) with average weight ±420kg and average production level of ±18 kg / day. The experimental stage was comprised of 100 days, which was divided into five periods of 20 days each, subdivided into three phases to collect behavioral data: 1 and 2 (Phase I); 9 and 10 (phase II); and 17 and 19 (phase III) days. The ingestive behavioral variables were measured a continuous basis during 24 hours, and expressed as states and events of food intake and water; states of rumination and idleness; and events visits to the feeder and drinker and excretion of urine and feces. From the food intake data, the time daily intake of roughage and concentrate has been calculated, the time taken to concentrate the 180 minutes of ingestion after the food distribution and the variation in time daily to the intake of concentrate. Water was provided ad libtium occurring measurement of daily consumption (L / day) during periods of behavioral evaluation. To characterize the environmental microclimate, it was evaluated at ambient temperature, maximum and minimum air, black globe (Tbg) and relative humidity (RH). According to the results, it is concluded that inclusion of 5.2% of tannin on the basis of dry matter in the diet of dairy cows can be employed without the occurrence of variations in daily food intake time, and the effects due concentrated intake with 5.2% tannin are attenuated by small peaks daily feeding times later 180 min after diet distribution, and by increasing the daily ingested amount of water the measure the amount of tannin diet increases from the level of 3.9% based on dry matter.