ALIMENTAÇÃO DE NOVILHAS COM SILAGEM DE MILHO OU CANADE- AÇÚCAR CORRIGIDA COM URÉIA - ANÁLISE ECONÔMICA

Abstract

The objective of this study was to economically compare a corn silage diet supplemented with 1.3 kg/day of concentrate with sugarcane diets supplemented with a 9:1 mixture of urea plus ammonium sulphate and increasing levels o concentrate (1.3, 2.0, or 2.7 kg/day). Twelve Holstein and eight Brown Swiss dairy heifers averaging 176 kg of body weight (BW) in the beginning of the trial were blocked by breed and BW, and within each block, randomly assigned to treatments. Each experimental period lasted 28 days with 21 days for diet adaptation and seven days for data and sample collections. The average prices of feedstuffs in the state of Minas Gerais during the year of 2004 were used in the economical analyses. The sugarcane diet with greatest proportion of concentrate or, forage to concentrate ratio of 45:55 (dry matter basis), can replace corn silage in dairy production systems that plan heifer's birth age close to 24 months of age .