Desempenho e desenvolvimento do trato digestório de bezerros suplementados com prebióticos

Abstract

The use of prebiotics for calves have grown on the last years because they are a sustainable option to replace the use of antibiotics as a growth promoter. The study aimed to evaluation the potential of the prebiotics Actigen and Viligen to promote better animal perfomance and the development of the gastrointestinal tract of suckling calves. Were used 48 calves, been 20 males and 28 females. Shortly after birth, the calves were separated from the mother, blocked by sex and date of birth, and randomly placed in four experimental groups: C - control group ( base diet = milk and hay); A: base diet + 3g/ head/ day of Actigen; V: diet base + 2g/ head/day of Viligen; AV: diet + 3g/ head/day Actigen + 2g/ head/ day Viligen. The calves were monitored in individual pens from birth to 60 days of age by body temperature, stool score and consume of concentrate. At the end of the experimental period, the males were sacrificed, eviscerated and the rumen, reticulum, omasum, abomasum, intestine, kidneys, spleen and liver were weighed, and the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum weighed full and empty. A sample of the rumen recess was collected and subjected to histological evaluations. Data were analyzed by the GLM procedure of SAS (2004) as a randomized block design, fitting calf weight at birth as a covariate. For the developmental variables of the digestive tract, the data from males only were used. The data were submitted to variance analysis and when significant, Tukey's test was applied. The data were considered significant at P <0.05. The use of prebiotics did not result in any changes in the zootechnical and sanitary performance of the animals. The development of the digestive tract, rumen morphology and histology were not affected by the use of prebiotics.