Spineless cactus as a replacement for wheat bran in sugar cane-based diets for sheep: intake, digestibility, and ruminal parameters

ABSTRACT - The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of replacing wheat bran by spineless cactus (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%) in sugar cane-based diets on intake and nutrient digestibility and ruminal parameters of sheep. Five sheep (Santa Inês; average initial weight of 34.0±3.6 kg) were fitted with cannulas in the rumen and then assigned to a 5 × 5 Latin square design. The maximum dry matter (DM; 1414 g d−1), digestible organic matter (658 g d−1), and neutral detergent fiber corrected for ash and protein (NDFap; 425 g d−1) intakes were estimated by replacing 80.2, 89.9, an...