This study aimed at establishing the morphological characteristics and morphometric indexes of Pêga donkeys, utilizing 47 animals, of which 22 were adults and 25 were growing donkeys. Prior to taking their measurements, the animals were restrained and made to stand squarely. The morphological data were measured, and the following morphometric indexes were determined: body index (BI), meloscopic index (MI), dactylothoracic index (DTI), weight in cannon index (WCI), conformation index (CFI), and real live weight (RLW). The experimental design was subdivided into plots and repeated in time, in which the animals represented the plot and the data collection times were the subplots. No sex effect was noted for the morphological measurements and morphometric indexes of growing donkeys. The effect of growth period was observed for all the variables. At birth, donkeys weighed around 14.86% of the weight of dams, and at six months they reached up to 40.37%. For the height taken at the withers, the animals at birth were 67.77% of the height of dams, and at six months they achieved up to 84.45%. Based on the morphometric indexes, it is suggested that adult and growing Pêga donkeys can be classified as being suited for both saddle and draft activities and possess a higher load capacity when compared with horses. A few indexes including BI, MI, and RLW need to be adjusted to be suitably used in rating the donkeys.
The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the association between different feed additives on ruminal fermentation parameters especially ruminal methane on cannulated beef cattle. Five Nellore cows, 480 ± 55 kg, ruminally cannulated were used. The experimental was a 5 x 5 Latin square design and the experimental unit was the animal within each period (n = 25 experimental units). The diets offered differed only by the inclusion or not of monensin, calcium nitrate or tannin, totaling five treatments: Control (without addition of additives), Monensin (30 ppm in the diet), Nitrate (3.0% of DM), Tannin (1.5% of DM) and Pool (combination of the three additives), being supplied in a basal diet with a concentrate: roughage (corn silage) ratio of 60:40. The study was divided into five periods, each one with 26 days. Sixteen days were used for adaptation to the experimental diets; ruminal fluid samples were collected at 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12h after feeding at 22nd day. To evaluate CH4 production and ammoniacal nitrogen balance, samples were incubated ex situ on equality ruminal conditions and then analyzed by gas chromatography and UV spectrophotometric, respectively. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS and differences were declared significant at 5%. There was interaction between sampling time and treatment (P < 0001) and all the additives were efficient in decreasing the methane production in mol/g/hour (P < 0001), mol/kg/day (P < 0001) and g/kg/day (P < 0001). Comparing to the Control all additives decreased CH4 production, and decreases were 9.5% for monensin, 18.75% for tannin, 19.8% for calcium nitrate and 28.8% for the Pool (monensin, nitrate and tannin). Concentration and balance of rumen NH3-N was not affected by any treatments. It was possible to conclude that association of additives of different mechanism of action presented a partial additive effect.
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