The objective of this trial was to evaluate the effect of replacing soybean meal with sunflower meal on carcass traits and body measurements of Santa Inês lambs. Eighteen intact lambs averaging 90 days of age and 14±1.43 kg of body weight (BW) at the beginning of the study were assigned to a completely randomized design and confined during 87 days. Animals were fed coastcross (Cynodon dactylon) hay ad libitum plus 300 g of one of the following three concentrate mixtures: ground corn + 100% soybean meal (SB), ground corn + 50% soybean meal + 50% sunflower meal (SBSF), or ground corn + 100% sunflower meal (SF). Feed intake was measured three times a week while body weight once a week. At slaughter the following measurements were taken: BW, hot carcass and half carcass weights, carcass length, carcass fat cover, skin weight and thickness, thoracic (lung, trachea and heart) and abdominal (liver and kidneys) organ weights, and retail cut weights (neck, ham, loin, shoulder, rib and rib/belly). The average daily weight gain and total weight gain were greater on animals fed SB than on those fed SBSF and SF. However, DM intake expressed as metabolic weight was lower on SB diet compared to SBSF but similar to SF diet. Weights of half-carcass as well as loin and rib/belly weights were all higher on SB than on SBSF and SF diets. Replacing SB with SBSF decreased production and carcass characteristics in feedlot finishing lambs.
confinement; nutrition; finishing
