This study evaluatedintake and apparent digestibility of the nutrients in the diet of Morada Novasheep that received diets containing increasing levels of juazeiro hayin substitution of Tifton 85 bermudagrass hay (0, 33, 67 and 100%). Sixteennon castrated male sheep, weighing an average of 26.75 kg, were used, placedin individual metabolic cages and distributed in a completely randomized blockdesign with four treatments and four replications. Intakes of dry matter, organicmatter, crude protein, ether extract, neutral detergent fiber, total carbohydrates,fibrous carbohydrates and non-fibrous carbohydrates and total digestible nutrientswere not influenced by the addition of juazeiro hay to the diets, with meanvalues of 1,042.78 and 595.59 g/day of dry matter and neutral detergent fiberintake, respectively. Linear reduction was observed for digestibility of thedry matter, organic matter, neutral detergent fiber and fibrous carbohydrates.Quadratic reduction was observed for the acid detergent fiber digestibilitycoefficient. The digestibility coefficients of the crude protein, ether extract,total carbohydrates and fibrous carbohydrates were not significant. The nitrogenbalance was not influenced and was positive for all the treatments. The inclusionof juazeiro hay did not influence nutrient intake or nitrogen balance, but reducedthe digestibility coefficient of some diet components.
