Articles
SILAGE COMPOSED OF OPUNTIA FICUS-INDICA F. INERMIS CLADODES, OLIVE CAKE AND WHEAT BRAN AS ALTERNATIVE FEED FOR BARBARINE LAMB
Article number
995_36
Pages
297 – 301
Language
English
Abstract
This experiment was performed to evaluate the nutritive value of diets and meat quality of lamb receiving a common diet (i.e., oaten hay and concentrate) or silage containing diets.
Twenty four Barbarine lambs (initial live weight 32.0±3 kg) were divided into three groups and housed in individual boxes for 79 days, then in metabolic crates for 11 days.
They received either a control diet composed of oaten hay ad libitum and 400 g concentrate (HC-diet), silage and 400 g concentrate
(SC-diet) or half of the control diet and silage (HC-S diet). The three diets were isoenergetic and isonitrogenous.
Silage acidity was in the range of normal silage (pH=4). Crude protein content of this silage averaged 130 g/kg DM. Digestible organic matter intake (DOMi) was similar in lambs receiving HC-diet (43.7 g/kg BW0.75) and SC-diet (40.7 g/kg BW0.75) and lowest with S-diet (37.7 g/kg BW0.75). Digestible CP intake was higher in silage containing diets than in HC-diet (P0.05). Carcass yield tended to increase with the incorporation of silage (40-43%) in the diet (P=0.085). It is concluded that the ensiled mixture of spineless cactus, olive cake and wheat bran could be used to replace totally or partially oaten hay without affecting lamb performances and meat quality.
Twenty four Barbarine lambs (initial live weight 32.0±3 kg) were divided into three groups and housed in individual boxes for 79 days, then in metabolic crates for 11 days.
They received either a control diet composed of oaten hay ad libitum and 400 g concentrate (HC-diet), silage and 400 g concentrate
(SC-diet) or half of the control diet and silage (HC-S diet). The three diets were isoenergetic and isonitrogenous.
Silage acidity was in the range of normal silage (pH=4). Crude protein content of this silage averaged 130 g/kg DM. Digestible organic matter intake (DOMi) was similar in lambs receiving HC-diet (43.7 g/kg BW0.75) and SC-diet (40.7 g/kg BW0.75) and lowest with S-diet (37.7 g/kg BW0.75). Digestible CP intake was higher in silage containing diets than in HC-diet (P0.05). Carcass yield tended to increase with the incorporation of silage (40-43%) in the diet (P=0.085). It is concluded that the ensiled mixture of spineless cactus, olive cake and wheat bran could be used to replace totally or partially oaten hay without affecting lamb performances and meat quality.
Authors
S. Abidi, H. Ben Salem, A. Nefzaoui, V. Vasta, A. Priolo
Keywords
spineless cactus, silage, digestion, growth, meat quality, lamb
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