The dairy buffaloes production in the State of Pará, which has 51% of national buffalo herd, has been seeking alternatives to increase the productivity of systems, which are
based on the use of pasture as a food source. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the performance off buffalo heifers grazed in marandu grass and supplemented with
different strategies. A total of 48 heifers and average initial age of 12 months and weight of 207,0 kilograms were distributed in a completely randomized design with four treatments and two replications. The experimental diets were supplemented with a base of coconut meal (COC), the second base of palm kernel cake (DEN), third with corn and soybeans (FS + M) as positive control and a fourth treatment using mineral mix (MM) as a negative control. The
animals fed the supplements COC, DEN e M+FS provided additional daily gain of 0,399, 0,405, 0,319 kg / animal, respectively, compared to the control group (P<0,05). The treatment on coconut got the best economic value when compared to other treatments. Dietary
supplementation of buffalo heifers grazed in the dry period within use of by-products provides
similar gains with the binomial corn and soybean meal and additional when compared to the
mineral salt at a lower cost, resulting in increased productivity, sustainability and revenue of
the activity.
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