Ingestive behavior of steers finished on soybean hull and/or white oat grain

Abstract The objective of this research was to measure the ingestive behavior of steers finished exclusively with concentrate containing soybean hulls (ground) and/or white oat grain.We used 32 steers with Charolais or Nellore predominance.The animals were randomly distributed in the treatments, blocked according to genetic predominance, and allocated in individual pens. Diets were isonitrogenous, being the treatments: Soybean hulls; White oat grain or the Mixture (equal parts), plus limestone and protein nucleus. Steers that received the diet based on soybean hulls remained more time in idle compared to the ones that received the mixture, and these remained more time in idle than the steers that received the diet based on white oat grain. Steers that received the diet based on soybean hulls ruminated less time than the steers fed the mixture, and these less time than those fed white oat grain. Exclusively concentrate diets based on soybean hulls although presenting high soluble fiber content in neutral detergent, are not sufficient to promote an appropriate ingestive behavior of steers of Charolais or Nelore racial predominance.