Effect of Replacement of Groundnut Cake with Decorticated Sunflower Cake on the Performance of Sudanese Desert Lambs

Abstract

Twelve Sudanese desert lambs of age less than one year and of average weight 18.5 Kg were utilized for this study. These lambs were divided into three groups of the equal number and initial weight to study the effect of replacing Groundnut meal by decorticated Sunflower meal on the performance of Sudanese desert lambs. The study was conducted at Small Ruminant Research pens, Faculty of Agricultural Technology and Fish Sciences, Al-Neelain University, Jabel Awlia, Sudan. Three iso-nitrogenous and isocaloric diets were formulated. These diets contained 0.00%, 50% and 100% Sunflower meal instead of Groundnut meal respectively. These diets were randomly assigned to the experimental groups. Feeding was on ad libitum base for 35 days from 2 April to 14 May, 2007. Replacement of groundnut meal with decorticated sunflower meal had no significant effect on the final body weight, weight gain and feed conversion efficiency. But this replacement induced significant (p < 0.05) effect on feed intake.