Sixteen ½ Holstein/Indubrasil heifers, averaging 230 kg of live weight, housed in individual boxes, were allotted to a completely randomized design, with four treatments and four replicates, according to the following treatments: T1 - bagasse without treatment (control); T2 - bagasse treated with 2.5% Na2S; T3 - bagasse treated with 4% NH3 and T4 - bagasse treated with 2.5% Na2S + 4% NH3. All treatments were based on bagasse dry matter. Sugarcane bagasse was stored for 10 months e, after silo opening, animals were ad libitum fed, in the morning (7 a.m.), to obtain orts of approximately 10%, and all animals were fed 3.5 kg/head /day of concentrate with 19% crude protein. It was verified effect for daily and total weight gain, and the higher gains were observed for the treatments with NH3. The average values observed for daily weight gain were of 702, 684, 1026, and 1005 g/head, respectively, for the bagasse without treatment, treated with Na2S, treated with NH3 and treated with NH3 plus Na2S. DM intake, as a function of live weight, ranged form 1.92 (control) to 2.46% LW (NH3) and NDF intake ranged from 0.84 (control) to 1.14% LW (NH3).
ammoniation; bagasse; residue
