Back to Search
Start Over
Feeding forage mixtures of alfalfa hay and maize stover optimizes growth performance and carcass characteristics of lambs
- Source :
- Animal Science Journal. 89:359-366
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- Wiley, 2017.
-
Abstract
- A feeding experiment was carried out to determine the effects of different proportions of alfalfa hay and maize stover on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of fattening lambs. Forty-two healthy 3.5-month-old male Small-tail Han lambs of 23.89 ± 0.38 kg body mass were assigned to seven groups, which were fed mixed diets composed of maize stover and alfalfa hay containing 0%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70% or 100% maize stover on a dry matter (DM) basis. Each lamb received 1.5 kg DM of forage mixture three times daily and supplementary concentrate (0.5 kg corn per lamb per day) for 60 days. Compared with the control forage diet of maize stover only, forage intake rate and forage conversion rate on the 40% maize stover/60% alfalfa hay mixture were 30% and 5% higher, respectively. Body weight, dressing percentage and net income were 6.7 kg, 8% and 94.37 Yuan higher per lamb, respectively. Thus, feeding lambs with a forage mixture of maize stover and alfalfa hay in a ratio of 40:60 optimized the production performance, slaughter performance, and the income derived from lambs.
- Subjects :
- Male
0301 basic medicine
Meat
Intake rate
animal diseases
Forage
Biology
Body weight
Zea mays
03 medical and health sciences
Fodder
Animals
Dry matter
Stover
Sheep
Body Weight
0402 animal and dairy science
04 agricultural and veterinary sciences
General Medicine
Animal Feed
040201 dairy & animal science
Diet
030104 developmental biology
Agronomy
Alfalfa hay
Hay
General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Medicago sativa
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 13443941
- Volume :
- 89
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Animal Science Journal
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....5036d121dc079262b442216037521ff6