Feed Intake of Growing Dairy Heifers Raised under Tropical Conditions: A Model Evaluation Using Meta-Analysis.

Several models for predicting dry matter intake (DMI) of replacement dairy heifers have been developed; however, only a few have been evaluated using data from heifers of different breeds raised under tropical conditions. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the DMI equations for dairy heifers managed under tropical conditions. A total of 230 treatment means from 61 studies using dairy heifers ( = 1513 heifers, average body weight = 246 kg) were used.

Performance, biochemical and physiological parameters of Dorper × Santa Ines lambs fed with three levels of metabolizable energy.

This study aimed to evaluate the performance and the blood biochemical and physiological parameters of Dorper × Santa Ines lambs receiving three levels of metabolizable energy (ME). A completely randomized design with three treatments (ME levels) and eight replicates (lambs) was used. Twenty-four non-castrated male lambs of four months of age and 21.