The present study was aimed at assessing the ingestive behavior of ¾ Zebu × Holstein heifers confined to different levels of substitution of sorghum silage by marandu GRASS silage. Twenty heifers were used with initial average weight of 346. 25 kg, divided into completely randomized experimental design with 5 repeti-tions and the following treatments: treatment 1) roughage fraction of the diet composed of 100% of sor-ghum silage; treatment 2) roughage fraction of the diet composed of 70% of sorghum silage and 30% of marandu GRASS silage; treatment 3) roughage fraction of the diet composed of 30% of sorghum silage and 70% of marandu GRASS silage and treatment 4) roughage fraction of the diet composed of 100% of marandu GRASS silage. Concentrate was provided (25. 25% soybean meal, 73. 44% ground corn and 1. 31% mineral mixture, based on natural matter), made calculations for ingestion of 1. 2% of the live weight. Visual obser-vations were accomplished for determination of ingestive behavior, every 21 days. The substitution of sor-ghum silage by marandu GRASS silage increased time with FEEDING, it did not affect time with rumination, time of chew, number of chews a day nor number of meals a day, but it resulted in lower feed efficiency, without interfering in the rumination efficiency of dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent insoluble fiber (NDF).

In this experiment, the fingerlings of GRASS carp reared under natural FEEDING of the pond were allowed to observe carp attacks on fully floating (pieces of bread) and sinking food (laboratory –made pellet). The performance and FEEDING starting times were then compared among carp-exposed or carp-observer GRASS carp that could see the food directly with the demonstrators’ foraging activity and naïve GRASS carp groups that couldn't see the demonstrators’ (common carp) FEEDING activity. The carp-exposed and carp-observer groups of GRASS carp were better at FEEDING reaction (start time) than naïve fish when they fed on two novel fully floating and sinking food. When they fed on floating bread, 80% of the chambers of GRASS carp with carp in compare with 53% of the chambers with only naïve GRASS showed starting taking food for the duration of 5 days. When they fed on sinking pellets, 65% of the carp - observer GRASS carp in the tanks compared with 20% of the chambers with the naïve GRASS carps, showed taking the diet for the duration of 5 days. More carp-exposed GRASS carp learned taking novel floating diet during 10 days experimental period and the observer GRASS carp in the experimental tanks with sinking novel diet showed catching pellets 48 hour before the naïve GRASS carp groups. The fingerlings of carp-exposed and carp-observing GRASS carp were capable of direct observational learning in their FEEDING behavior.

The present study was conducted in order to determine yield and the nutritive VALUE of Napier GRASS at different growth stages as a new forage source in Iran. For this purpose, Napier GRASS was harvested at three stages of vegetative growth (65, 85 and 115 days after planting, respectively). Chemical composition, rumen fermentation parameters, yield and some morphological traits were investigated. At the final growth stage, dry matter (DM) yield and height of Napier GRASS was 26.8 tons per hectare and 257 cm, respectively. With increasing age of the plant, a decrease in crude protein and an increase in lignin of cell wall was observed (P < 0.05). Crude protein and neutral detergent fiber content of the GRASS at this stage were 88 and 63 g/kg DM, respectively. Changes in chemical compositions during growth stages were more pronounced in the stem than in the leaf. During the growth period, the decrease in digestibility of leave and stem led to a decrease in dry matter and organic matter digestibility of Napier GRASS from 782 to 649 and from 814 to 747 g/kg DM, respectively (P < 0.05). The amount of gas production potential decreased with increasing plant age (P < 0.05). Fermentation rate and lag time were similar in plant harvested at the three stages of growth. The results of the present study showed that Napier GRASS with high yield of digestible organic matter and high nutritive VALUE can be considered as a valuable source of forage in the country.

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the FEEDING VALUE of date pits in broiler chickens. One hundred sixty eight male broiler chicks (Ross 308) from 1 to 42 days of age were used. Experimental design was CRD, in a factorial arrangement of 4 replicates per treatment. The factors included: 3 levels of date pits (10, 20 and 30%) either with or without multi enzyme supplementation. A control diet based on corn and soybean meal was included. All diets were isonitrogenous as well as isoenergetic. Apparent metabolizable energy corrected for zero nitrogen retention and amino acids content of date pits were assessed before formulation of the diets. Cage body weight and feed intake were measured at 10, 28 and 42 days of age. At the end of the experiment, two birds from each cage were selected for either blood plasma samples to be used to measure lipid metabolites and peroxidation parameters. Finally, following over night fasting, birds were slaughtered and carcass characteristics evaluated. Results indicated that live body weight at 10, 28 and 42 days of age, weren’t affected by either the levels of dietary date pits or enzyme addition and neither by the interaction between the two factors (P>0.05). Adding date pits to broiler diet, up to 10% improved feed conversion ratio (FCR) significantly (P<0.05). Increasing the level of date pits to diet, up to 20 and 30% increased FCR about 4.9 and 3.1% respectively (P<0.05). No difference was observed between carcasses’ relative weight of birds fed control vs. dietary treatments (P>0.05). Gizzard percentage in birds fed date pits, was 32% greater than that in the control group (P<0.01). FEEDING date pits decreased blood cholesterol and triglycerides numerically, but this decrease, was not statistically significant. The effect of FEEDING date pits on blood malondialdehyde and total antioxidant was significant (P<0.05). Data suggested that including 10% date pits would improve broiler performance. Furthermore adding enzyme to date pits containing diet entails have positive effects.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the best level of inclusion of cactus pear in the ensiling of ele-phant GRASS Brazil seeds (BRS) capiaç u (Pennisetum purpureum), its effects on fermentative characteristics; and nutritional VALUE. Experimental treatments consisted of BRS capiaç u GRASS silage with five levels of inclusion of cactus pear (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20% inclusion as fresh basis) during ensiling. A completely ran-domized design with five treatments and six replicates was used. The inclusion of cactus pear in BRS ca-piaç u GRASS silage did not alter the pH of the ensiled mass (P=0. 18), mean of 3. 8. The marginal variation between the highest cactus pear inclusion dose and the control group (without cactus pear) for effluent was 50. 33%, mean of 1. 06% for each percentage unit of cactus pear inclusion. The ash content (P=0. 79), total carbohydrates (P=0. 30), total digestible nutrients (P=0. 79), neutral detergent insoluble protein (P=0. 66) and ether extract (P=0. 42) did not change with the inclusion of cactus pear, being the averages of 8. 01, 2. 53, 3. 14, 11. 74, 80. 88 and 44. 69%, respectively. In vitro digestibility of dry matter (P<0. 01) and neutral deter-gent fiber (P<0. 01) increased linearly with the inclusion of cactus pear. The inclusion of up to 5% of cactus pear in silage BRS capiaç u GRASS improves the fermentation characteristics and the nutritional VALUE of si-lage.

Samples of GRASS pea seed (Lathyrus sativus) were prepared and analyzed for some chemical composition and as well for their anti-nutritional factors. The rumen degradability coefficients and post ruminal digestibility of dry matter and crude protein of unheatedvs. oven heated samples were determined, employing in situ and in vitro techniques. Results indicated that GRASS pea seed contained a considerable level of crude protein (36%). The process of heating reduced (P<0.05) tannins and Oxalyl DiAminoPropanoic acid (ODAP) content in GRASS pea seeds. Heat processing, especially 3 hours of heating, increased (P<0.05) the slowly degradable fractions of the seed. Ruminal disappearance of DM and CP occurred at a lower rate (P<0.05) for the heated GRASS pea seed than for the unheated seed. Heat processing did not affect the production of some such nutritional parameters (estimated through gas production method) as DOM, ME, NEL, SCFA and MP production (P>0.05). It was concluded that GRASS pea seed was of a substantial potential as a protein source in ruminant nutrition with its heat processing resulting in positive effects on its DM and CP digestibility.