Carcass and non-carcass characteristics of Tigray highland lambs fed mulberry (Morus alba) leaf meal at different supplementation levels

Abstract

The study was carried out to evaluate the effect of mulberry (Morus alba) leaf meal levels on growth performance and carcass characteristics of Tigray highland lambs. The experiment consisted of five treatments; and conducted in a randomized complete block design using thirty intact yearlings Tigray highland male lambs. The experimental diets were 300g concentrate mix alone, 225g concentrate mix + 86.55g mulberry leaf, 150g concentrate mix + 173.1g mulberry leaf, 75g concentrate mix + 259.7g mulberry leaf and 346.2g mulberry leaf alone with barley straw ad libitum to all treatments. The mix was prepared from Noug seed cake and wheat bran at ratio of 1:2, respectively. Higher weights of total edible offal component, empty body weight, rib eye muscle area and slaughter weight were observed as a result of high level of mulberry leaf meal supplementation than the sole concentrate mix treatment. On the other hand, the dressing percentage on slaughter weight base as well as empty body weight base and hot carcass weight showed less difference (p>0.05) between sole mulberry leaf meal and sole concentrate mix treatments. The result of the present study indicated that substitution of mulberry leaf meal for concentrate mix can be used effectively without affecting the results of growth parameters as well as edible or non edible offal components that can be achieved by sole concentrate supplementation. Hence, the finding revealed that feeding mulberry leaf meal alone to Tigray highland lambs could substitute the costly and even less accessible commercial concentrate mix to resource poor farmers and could result in reasonably better performance of lambs.