The objectiveof this work was to evaluate the effect of sugar cane treated with calcium oxide(CaO) on ingestive behavior in goats. It was used eight castrated male Saanengoats, with 22.6 kg average body weight and at four months of age, distributedin two 4 × 4 Latin squares, with four 14-day experimental periods. Theanimals were kept in individual 1.2-m2 stalls, with wood battenedfloor, provided with individual feeders and drinkers. The diets were formulatedto be isoproteic, with 14% crude protein (CP) and presented 70% sugar cane treatedwith 0; 0.75; 1.5 or 2.25% of calcium oxide (on natural matter basis) correctedwith 1% urea and 30% of concentrate fed ad libitum. Sugar cane added with dosesof calcium oxide was crushed in stationary chopper, weighed and stored in 50-Lplastic buckets and treated with calcium oxide, given to the animals after 24hours of storage. Times spent in feeding, ruminating (min/day; min/kg DM andmin/kg NDF) and idle (min/day) were not affected by addition of calcium oxideto sugar cane. Addition of calcium oxide to sugar cane did not influence effciencyof feeding and rumination mad it reduced average time spent per feeding period.Ingestive behavior of growing goats is not affected by utilization of dietswith sugar cane treated with up to 2.25% of calcium oxide.
