Dois experimentos usando ovinos deslanados testaram a substituição da torta de algodão por feno de leguminosas em rações com restolho da cultura do milho. No primeiro experimento, foi usada uma ração-base de 51% restolho do milho, 28% torta de algodão, 20% milho e 1% sal, na qual a torta de algodão foi substituída por 5%, 10%, e 15% de feno de mata-pasto (Cassia sericea), enquanto um lote-testemunha era mantido em pastoreio. Os animais confinados ganharam 95, 106, 103 e 93 gramas/cabeça/dia (P>0,05), para as rações com 0%, 5%, 10% e 15% de mata-pasto, respectivamente. Os animais em pastoreio perderam 11 gramas/cabeça/dia (P0.05) for the rations with 0%, 5%, 10% and 15% of "mata-pasto", respectively. The grazing animals lost 11 grams/head/day, (P<0.05). In the second experiment, the cottonseed cake was either partially (50%) or totally replaced by "mata-pasto" or "cunhã" (Clitoria ternatea) hays, while the grazing sheep received a supplementation of 200 grams of corn grain/head/day. With the exception of the treatment in which the cottonseed cake was totally replaced by "mata-pasto" hay, the other treatments with confined animals showed gains above 100 grams/head/day, which were higher than (P<0.01) the 42 grams/head/day for the grazing animals. The results indicate that it is possible to substitute "mata-pasto" hay for cottonseed cake at levels up to 50%, while the total substitution can be made "cunhã" is used
