It was studied the effects of inclusion of cassava in substitution of corn on nutrient digestibility and ingestive behavior of dairy goats of Saanen breed fed diets based on cane sugar. It was used five lactating goats with average production of 2 kg of milk per day allotted to 5 x 5 Latin square design with five levels of inclusion of cassava (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40%) replacing corn. The apparent digestibility of DM, CP, OM, TC was not affected by the replacement levels of ground corn for cassava. The apparent digestibility of the NDF fraction decreased linearly with the increase of cassava in diets. The apparent digestibility of NFC increased linearly with the increase of cassava in the diets. Feed behavior in all studied variables did not influence the inclusion of cassava in place of corn. The replacement of cracked corn by cassava did not affect the digestibility, and chewing behavior of lactation goats.
starch; non-fibrous carbohydrates; chewing; ruminating
