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Effect of increasing monensin sodium levels in diets with virginiamycin on the finishing of Nellore cattle
Author(s) -
Benatti João Marcos B.,
Alves Neto João Alexandrino,
Oliveira Ivanna M.,
Resende Flávio D.,
Siqueira Gustavo R.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
animal science journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.606
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1740-0929
pISSN - 1344-3941
DOI - 10.1111/asj.12831
Subject(s) - dry matter , virginiamycin , monensin , feedlot , zoology , weight gain , chemistry , body weight , feed conversion ratio , beef cattle , biology , endocrinology , biochemistry , antibiotics
This study evaluated the effect of increasing levels of monensin sodium ( MON ) in diets with virginiamycin ( VM ) on the finishing of feedlot cattle. Two hundred and eighty intact male Nellore cattle (348 ± 32 kg body weight, 22 months) received one of the following five diets: control diet (without additives); diet containing VM (25 mg per kg dry matter) combined with 0 ( MON 0), 10 ( MON 10), 20 ( MON 20) or 30 ( MON 30) mg MON per kg dry matter. During adaptation (28 days), the MON 0 diet increased dietary net energy for maintenance and gain compared to the control diet ( P = 0.04). The combination of additives linearly reduced dry matter intake, body weight and average daily gain ( P < 0.01). Considering the total study period (110 days), there was a trend of greater net energy intake for maintenance ( P = 0.09) and hot carcass weight ( P = 0.06) for animals fed MON 0 compared to the control diet. The combination of additives linearly reduced dry matter intake ( P = 0.04) and linearly increased gain : feed and dietary net energy for maintenance and gain ( P < 0.01). The combination of VM with MON at a dose of 30 mg/kg dry matter is recommended for Nellore feedlot cattle because it improves the efficiency of energy utilization.