Comportamento ingestivo de vacas leiteiras alimentadas com casca de tucumã (Astrocaryum aculeatum) em substituição ao milho

Abstract

Feeding behavior is one of the animal management tools that influences decision-making in livestock production by affecting factors such as housing adjustments, management practices, and feeding strategies, ultimately aiming to improve animal performance and productive efficiency. This study aimed to evaluate the ingestive behavior of dairy cattle fed tucumã (Astrocaryum aculeatum) as a partial replacement for corn, considering that tucumã represents a lower-cost alternative to this conventional feed ingredient. The experiment was conducted at the Luiz Lorenzo Exhibition Park, located in the municipality of Parintins, Amazonas, Brazil. Five Jersey cows, with an average initial body weight of 250 kg and at least 60 days in milk, were used in a 5 × 5 Latin square experimental design. The experimental diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous, consisting of corn meal, tucumã peel, mineral mixture, and BRS Capiaçu silage. Observations of ingestive behavior were performed on the 11th day of each experimental period over a continuous 24-hour period. Replacing corn with tucumã peel did not affect the ingestive behavior variables evaluated, including feeding, idling, and rumination times. Although tucumã peel is a more fibrous feedstuff, the physical processing applied to both corn and tucumã peel (ground) may explain the absence of significant effects on ingestive behavior. Therefore, replacing up to 20% of corn with tucumã peel is recommended.