Use of babassu cake and pineapple byproduct silage in the diets of feedlot sheep

This study evaluated the use of babassu cake as a replacement for soybean meal and pineapple byproduct silage as roughage in the diets of feedlot sheep. Ten rumen-fistulated sheep were used and distributed in an experimental design consisting of two 5 x 5 Latin squares. Babassu cake replaced soybean meal at four concentration levels (0, 26.66, 53.33, and 80%), and pineapple byproduct silage was used as roughage. A treatment was also evaluated in which elephant grass silage was used as roughage and corn and soybean meal were used as the concentrate. No effect of babassu cake as a replacement for soybean meal on dry matter intake, neutral detergent fiber, or crude protein was observed. Higher babassu cake replacement levels in the diets resulted in linear reductions in the digestibility of the dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, organic matter, nonfiber carbohydrates and total carbohydrates. For the digestibility of the crude protein, no effect was observed after the addition of babassu cake. The replacement levels of the babassu cake had no effect on the intake and retention of the daily nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen and ruminal pH. Babassu cake could replace soybean meal at concentrations of up to 80% when the roughage source was pineapple byproduct silage. Compared with elephant grass silage, pineapple byproduct silage improves nutrient intake and digestibility and nitrogen intake, retention, and absorption without compromising the ruminal pH or ammonia nitrogen of feedlot sheep.