PERFORMANCE OF HAIR EWES LAMBS WITH DIFFERENTS LEVELS OF PALM KERNEL MEAL IN GRAINS SUBSTITUTION

The nutritional status is an important factor on the productive and reproductive performance in ewes. Four levels of palm kernel meal (HP) in substitution of corn grain were evaluated on posweaning performance of hair ewe lambs. Forty-three hair ewe lambs (11.72 ± 0.33 kg de body weight) were assigned to isoenergetic and isoproteic diets with 0, 15, 30 and 45% of HP (HP0, HP15, HP30 y HP45, respectively; n=9 per treatment) and grazing (PASTO), for 112 days. It was evaluated the final live weight (PVF), daily weight gain (GDP), body condition (CC), feed conversion (CA), and feed efficiency (EUA). In base to economic registers was determined the optimal economic and profit maximization of the levels evaluated. The CC was similar (P > 0.05) between HP0, HP15, HP30 and HP45. The PVF, GDP, CA and EUA, between HP0, HP15 and HP30 were similar (P < 0.05), with tendencies to be different (P < 0.08) with the lambs of HP45 and different (P < 0.05) with PASTO. The lambs of HP45 and PASTO recorded the lowest GDP (99.03 ± 0.89 and 42.84 ± 0.51 g d-1), CA (6.24 ± 0.57 and 13.82 ± 4.0 kg feed kg-1 of live weight) and EUA (18.64 ± 1.4 and 8.09 ± 0.99%). The economic optimal was obtained between 15 and 30% of inclusion of HP and the maximum profit obtained was $286.80 pesos with HP30. So it is possible to replace grains with HP up to 30% with similar performance and better profit.