Effects of alfalfa and oat supplementation in fermented total mixed rations on growth performances, carcass characteristics, and meat quality in lambs

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the effects of replacing alfalfa in the fermented total mixed ration (FTMR) with oats on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of lambs. Overall, 45 noncastrated male crossbred (small tail Han sheep × Ujumqin sheep) lambs were randomly assigned to three groups on three groups on FTMR diets comprising 200 (CK group), 300 (AH-300 group), and 400 (AH-400 group) g/kg of oat hay in dry form, respectively. Dry matter intake, average daily gain, and total weight gain were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the AH-300 group than in the CK and AH-400 groups. Furthermore, the AH-300 group had a higher backfat thickness and intramuscular fat than the other groups, whereas dripping loss, cooking loss and shear force were markedly (p < 0.05) lower in the AH-300 group than in the AH-400 group. No significant differences were observed in carcass weight and dressing percentage among the three groups. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the replacing of alfalfa with oats in the FTMR diet could improve the growth performance and meat quality of lambs.