Nutrient Intake, Performance, Carcass Characteristics, Meat Quality, and Cost Analysis of Sheep Submitted to Intermittent Supplementation on Masai Grass Pastures

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Lowering the slaughter age of sheep is an indispensable measure to improve the quality of meat reaching the market and to increase the per capita consumption of this type of protein. Sheep meat production systems on pasture are less costly alternatives and associating them with supplementation strategies to reduce costs may be the path to consolidate the productive chain of sheep meat. We assessed intermittent supplementation (every day or every other day) in sheep managed with Masai grass and found no effect of said grass on nutrient intake, performance, intake behavior, carcass characteristics, or meat quality. However, it was seen that the strategy reduces the cost of producing 1 kg of meat by 15%, which encourages us to recommend the application of that nutritional strategy. ABSTRACT: This study aimed to assess nutrient intake, performance, intake behavior, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of sheep managed on Masai grass pastures along with intermittent concentrate supplementation, in addition to the economic impacts of applying that strategy. A sample of 24 Santa Inês sheep (12 males and 12 females) was kept for 80 days on Panicum maximum cv. Massai pastures and was supplemented daily or every other day. The voluntary intake of dry matter and nutrients was estimated. Mean daily weight gain and total weight gain were calculated and intake behavior parameters were assessed. The males were slaughtered and the weight and yield of the carcasses and meat cuts were assessed. The meat was analyzed for cooking losses, shear force, and color. The gross margin of the system was estimated from the difference between total income and operational cost. No effect was seen of the interaction between supplementation frequency and sex for any parameter assessed (p > 0.05). Intermittent supplementation of Santa Inês sheep managed with Masai grass is recommended since the strategy does not impact nutrient intake, performance, intake behavior, carcass characteristics, or meat quality, but lowers the costs of producing 1 kg of meat by 15%.