Effect of feeding diets containing seaweed on weight gain and carcass characteristics of indigenous lambs in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

The 18 indigenous ram and ewe lambs in the study were divided randomly into two equal groups. Lambs in group 1 received a diet consisting of concentrate and Rhodes grass hay at a ratio of 1:1, while lambs in group 2 received the diet given to group 1 plus 1% seaweed meal. Feed intakes, average daily gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were measured. The ram lambs were slaughtered at the end of the experiment (155 days of age) that lasted 35 days. Animals fed the diet supplemented with seaweed consumed more feed/kg body weight (5.76) and gained less weight (131.2 g/day) than those fed no seaweed (5.34 FCR; 144.2 g/day). Also, lambs fed diet supplemented with seaweed had higher hot carcass weight (7.3 kg), and lower proportion of digestive tract fill (13.6%) and non-carcass fat (2.6%) than those fed no seaweed ( 7.1 kg, 18.6 and 3.0%, respectively). Supplementation of 1% seaweed meal had no significant influence on relative growth of body components, or physical and chemical composition of the rib cut.