EFEITO DA DIETA 100% CONCENTRADO SOBRE O DESEMPENHO E CARACTERÍSTICAS DE CARCAÇA DE OVINOS CONFINADOS

The Brazilian sheep herd is composed by 18.433 million head of which 64% are allocated in the Northeast of the country. In Brazil, a significant increase in the demand for sheep meat improved the slaughter rate. In this scenario it is essential to use mechanisms to shorten the production cycle. Diet with 100% of concentrate is a good alternative to achieve this goal, since they have a high energy value and high dry matter content resulting in better gains in a shorter time. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of 100% concentrated diet on the consumption, performance and carcass characteristics of crossbred sheep. The animals that received the 100% concentrated diet obtained a better average daily gain and a higher subcutaneous fat thickness, but they did not have differences for the carcass yield. The 100% concentrated diet showed that it is possible to reduce the production cycle, improving the quality of carcass for young animals.