Growth Performance and Rumen Fermentation of Lambs Fed Untreated or Urea Treated Groundnut Hull with Different Protein Sources

Abstract

Thirty lambs ranging in age between 5–6 months with live body weight 18± 0.5 kg were used in an experiment with 12-week periods to determine the effects of feeding diets containing untreated (U) or urea treated groundnut hull (T) with groundnut cake (GN), cotton seeds cake (CS) or fish by-products (FB) as source of protein in addition to other feed ingredients of molasses, sorghum, wheat bran, limestone and salt on growth performance. Treated groundnut hull was prepared by added 4g/kg DM urea to groundnut hull in a silo for a period of 6 weeks. Six concentrate rations; A (T × GN), B (T × CS), C (T × FB), D (U × GN), E (U × CS) and F (U × FB) were used. Daily feed intake (FI), daily weight gain (DWG) and final body weight (FBW) were significantly (P<0.05) higher in lambs fed T diets than those fed U diets. However, no significant variations were detected due to protein sources except for FI. Higher values of FI, DWG and FBW were recorded for Lambs fed T supplemented with GN. Higher values of NH3-N, VFA and pH were recorded for diets T× GN and T × CS respectively. Lower values were recorded for diets U × GN and T × CS. No significant difference (P <0.05) in pH values between diets containing T. The lowest concentration of rumen VFA was recorded by U×GN (8.81mmol/dl), while the highest value was recorded by T×GN (18.58mmol/dl). It was concluded that diets based on urea-treated groundnut hull supplemented with GN, CS or FB were utilized more efficiently by sheep than those fed untreated basal diets.