Abstract

Thirty-five Yankasa rams initially weighing 22.5kg on the average were individually fed one of five diets formulated to differ in the roughage to concentrate ratio: 70:30, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60, 30:70. The diets were isonitrogenous and isocaloric. Average daily gain (ADG) and feed efficiency show­ed a linear response to increasing levels of dietary concentrate. Feed intake on the other hand did not reveal any significant difference. Both dry matter and nitrogen digestibility tended to increase with in­creasing dietary concentrate. Dressing percentage, kidney and mesenteric fats also increased with in­creasing concentrate level. Given the overall perfor­mance and current prices of feedstuffs, rams and mutton, it would seem that 50 to 60% dietary con­centrate is optimal for fattening.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call