This study was conducted to evaluate production and carcass characteristics of confined lambs born from Santa Inês ewes, which were supplemented in different stages of pregnancy. Forty-eight Santa Inês ewes averaging 40 kg of body weight were randomly assigned to one of four treatments as follows: control, animals received pasture of Panicum maximum Jacq cv. Tanzania and residue of cassava bagasse while in the remaining treatments animals were fed the same as in the control but also a supplement (corn and soybean meal) from day 1 to day 50 (treatment 2), from day 51 to day 100 (treatment 3), or from day 101 to calving (treatment 4). Proportions of corn and soybean meal in the supplement varied from 90:10 (initial and mid gestation) to 10:90 (end of gestation). After weaning, lambs received a pelleted diet containing 75% TDN and 20% CP and were finished in drylot. Lambs were slaughtered when they reached 30 kg of body weight. Supplementation of ewes with corn and soybean meal during different stages of pregnancy did not affect any of the studied variables. Therefore, residue of cassava bagasse can be fed to ewes at all gestational stages.
carcass yield; quantitative carcass; sheep; weight gain
