Sugarcane bagasse or elephant grass hay in diets for goats: Performance, feeding behavior and carcass characteristics

Background: Novel feeding strategies should be developed to produce high-quality meat in current goat production systems. Objective: To evaluate the effects of castration and association spineless cactus with sugarcane bagasse or elephant grass hay on nutrient intake, digestibility, performance, behavior carcass traits feedlot kids. Methods: A total 24 male kids (12 castrated 12 intact), an average initial weight 18.5 ± 3.8 kg were allotted a completely randomized 2 x factorial design (sugar cane hay; intact castrated), confined for 70 days. Results: Nutrient intake animal performance similar between treatments. Sugarcane increased, when compared hay, digestibility dry matter (66.12 vs 62.88; p=0.005), crude protein (74.26 70.95; p=0.029) non-fibrous carbohydrates (91.94 83.07; p<0.001). The forage source affected time spent resting, ruminating chewing time, but there was no effect diet rumination efficiencies. Elephant bagasse, hot (9.87 10.79; p=0.025) yield (43.81 46.87; p=0.013). Intact produced heavier carcasses (10.80 9.86; p=0.014). Conclusion: Feeding sugar do not affect performance. Feedlot goats have improved if kept fed hay.