Can urea associated with alternative carbohydrate sources replace conventional concentrate for lambs

Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the intake and digestibility of nutrients, nitrogen use, performance and blood metabolic profile of lambs in finishing fed with urea supplemented alternative feeds. Forty Santa Ines lambs, uncastrated males, with an average body weight of 22.8 ± 2.1 kg, were used in a completely randomized design. Four diets were tested, with Tifton-85 hay as forage (580 g/kg of dry matter) and corn + soybean meal (CSM), corn + urea (CU), cassava scraping + urea (CSU), and spineless cactus + urea (SCU). The lambs fed with SCU diet had lower (P