This study evaluated the performance and carcass characteristics and non carcass constituents of sheep and goats foraging in the caatinga rangeland, supplemented with multi-nutrients blocks (MBs). The experiment was carried out at EMEPA Experimental Station in Soledade-PB, Brazil, according to a completely randomized design with 3x2 factorial treatments (three levels of supplementation of animal foraging in the caatinga rangeland: S1 = mineral salt; S2 = MBs, and S3 = MBs + buffel grass hay, and 2 species: sheep and goat) and 10 replications of one animal. Mean daily and total weight gain (MDWG and TWG) showed to be higher for animals supplemented with salt, and it was higher for sheep (MDWG=104.83 g and TWG=11. 32 kg) than for goats (MDWG=92.90 g and TWG=10.04 kg). Slaughtering weight (SW), hot carcass (HCW) and cold carcass (CCW) weights were higher for animals supplemented with mineral salt. Empty body weight (EBW), biological yield (BY), commercial yield (CY), true yield (TY) and loss by cooling (LC) were not affected by supplementation levels. Sheep SW=27.62 kg was higher than goat SW=25.34, while BR, CR and VR were higher for goats. There were significant (P<0.05) effects of supplementation levels on yield (%) of weight of the full gastrointestinal tract (IGTc), weight of the empty gastrointestinal tract (IGTv), liver, heart and kidneys. Supplementation with multi-nutrient blocks alone or in conjunction with low quality hay for sheep and goats grazing in the caatinga rangeland with satisfactory forage quantity and quality does not result in significant productivity gains.
extensive management; small ruminants; supplementation