Impact of black soldier fly larval meal on growth performance,apparent digestibility,haematological and blood chemistry indices of guinea fowl starter keets under tropical conditions

In order to assess the impact of larval meal on guinea fowl, six iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous diets were fed to day-old-keets ad libitum till 8 weeks of age. Water was also freely provided. The fishmeal (FM) component of the experimental diets was replaced with black soldier fly larval meal (BSFLM) in the following percentage ratios of 0–100%. Results showed that body weight gain significantly (P < 0.05) increased in all the BSFLM treatment groups compared to the control group. The final body weight of the birds at age 8 weeks differed significantly (P < 0.001). Dry matter intake varied (P < 0.001) slightly among the birds but never affected (P > 0.05) ME intake and faecal output as well as weight changes of the keets. Digestibility of dry matter and energy were not affected (P > 0.05) by the differences in diet. Organ and haematopoietic integrity were assured regardless of the protein types used as well as levels of inclusion. The results suggest that the replacement of fishmeal with BSFLM in so far as the economics of production is concerned could result in reduced feed cost for starter guinea keet judging from diets that contained 60–100% BSFLM.     

Growth performance of broilers fed on sprouted-roasted guar bean (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cyamopsis tetragonoloba</Emphasis>) based diets

In a completely randomized block design with 96 Cobb-500 broilers, a study was conducted to evaluate the potential of dietary inclusion of sprouted then roasted guar bean in broiler diets. The 96 male day-old broiler chicks, blocked by pen into equal weight groups of six chicks replicated four times per treatment, were randomly allocated to treatment diets containing graded levels of sprouted then roasted guar bean meal (GBM) at 0, 50, 100 and 150 g kg^?1 inclusion level. The guar bean was sprouted and roasted to reduce guar gum effect. Total feed intake decreased significantly as the guar bean meal content increased in the starter phase (P < 0.05), but no significant differences in intake of the finisher phase (P > 0.05) were observed. Diets containing 0 and 50 g kg^?1 GBM recorded significantly higher total feed intake compared to the diet containing 150 g kg^?1 GBM. Although average weight gain was not significantly different in birds fed 0 and 50 g kg^?1 GBM diets, it was significantly higher than in birds fed on 100 and 150 g kg^?1 GBM diets. Feed conversion ratio was not significantly different among treatment groups (P > 0.05) but showed a general decreasing trend with increasing guar bean meal inclusion level, the effect being more pronounced during the starter phase. In conclusion, the optimum inclusion level of sprouted then roasted guar bean meal in broiler diets is 50 g kg^?1.     

Growth performance,blood parameters,carcass characteristics and meat quality traits in Potchefstroom Koekoek chickens fed <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lippia javanica</Emphasis> leaf meal

Lippia javanica leaves may have nutraceutical bioactivity and thus could be a viable alternative to antibiotic growth promoters in poultry diets. To test this hypothesis, a feeding trial was carried out to determine the effects of dietary inclusion of Lippia javanica leaf meal (LJ) on growth performance, blood parameters, carcass characteristics and meat quality of indigenous Potchefstroom Koekoek (PK) chickens. The leaf meal was used to dilute a commercial chicken grower diet at a rate of 25 or 50 g/kg diet. Two additional experimental diets, a positive control (commercial chicken grower diet with antibiotics, CON+) and a negative control (commercial chicken grower diet without antibiotics, CON–), were also formulated. Feed intake and growth performance were measured over a period of 13 weeks before slaughtering for carcass and meat quality measurements. Blood was collected in week 11 to determine haematological and serum biochemical parameters. Diet had no effect on overall FCE but significantly (P?<?0.05) affected bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), sodium, potassium, cholesterol and magnesium levels in blood. When included at 50 g/kg, LJ increased carcass weight (P?<?0.05). Meat from CON– (6.07) and LJ50 (6.08) chickens had a higher pH than from CON+ (5.9) and LJ25 (5.8) chickens. Breast muscle in CON– chickens had higher (P?<?0.05) lightness (L*) value (53.2) compared to chickens fed on other diets. It was observed that meat from LJ25 chickens had the highest for redness value (2.3). It was concluded that L. javanica leaf meal can be included up to 50 g/kg in Potchefstroom koekoek chicken diets without causing negative effects on the birds’ feed intake, utilisation and weight gain. Diet-induced changes observed in blood parameters and meat quality fell within the expected normal ranges for indigenous chickens.     

Effect of dietary inclusion of graded levels of toasted guar meal on performance,nutrient digestibility,carcass traits,and serum parameters in commercial broiler chickens

An experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design to explore the replacement value of toasted guar meal (TGM) for soybean meal (SBM) in commercial broiler diets. Hypothesis was tested by including graded levels (0, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18% of diet) of TGM to replace maize-SBM on growth performance, apparent nutrient digestibility, carcass traits, and serum parameters. A total of six iso-nitrogenous and iso-caloric diets were prepared, and each diet was fed ad libitum to 12 replicates of five chicks each from 1 to 42 days of age. Results showed that inclusion of TGM up to 12% in broiler diets did not affect the body weight gain, feed efficiency, and energy digestibility. Feed intake, dry matter, nitrogen digestibility, and relative weights of ready-to-cook yields, breast muscle, abdominal fat, liver, and pancreas were not affected (P > 0.05) by incorporating TGM even up to 18% in broiler diets. Concentration of glucose, total protein, and triglyceride in serum was also not affected (P > 0.05), while serum total cholesterol concentration was found to be higher (P < 0.05) in broilers fed diets containing TGM as compared to those fed on 0% TGM diet. From the results, it was evident that TGM may be incorporated up to 12% in commercial broiler diets for better growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and carcass traits.     

Influence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nigella sativa</Emphasis> seeds, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rosmarinus officinalis</Emphasis> leaves and their combination on growth performance,immune response and rumen metabolism in Dorper lambs

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of dietary supplementation of Nigella sativa L. seeds, Rosmarinus officinalis L. leaves and their combination on rumen metabolism, nutrient intake and digestibility, growth performance, immune response and blood metabolites in Dorper lambs. Twenty-four entire male Dorper lambs (18.68?±?0.6 kg, 4–5 months old) were randomly assigned to a concentrate mixture containing on a dry matter basis either, no supplement (control, T1), 1% R. officinalis leaves (T2), 1% N. sativa seeds (T3) or 1% R. officinalis leaves +1% N. sativa seeds (T4). The lambs had ad libitum access to urea-treated rice straw (UTRS) and were raised for 90 days. Supplemented lambs had greater (P?< 0.05) intake of DM and UTRS than the control lambs. The T4 lambs had lower (P?< 0.05) nutrient digestibility than those fed other treatments. Total and daily weight gain was greater (P?< 0.05) in T2 lambs than those fed other diets. The T3 and T4 lambs had greater (P?< 0.05) ruminal pH than the T1 and T2 lambs. Supplemented lambs had lower (P?<?0.05) ruminal total volatile fatty acids, acetate, propionate, NH₃-N and C18:0 than the control lambs. The T4 lambs had lower (P?< 0.05) population of Fibrobacter succinogenes, Ruminococcus albus, methanogens and total protozoa compared with those fed other diets. Supplemented lambs had lower (P?< 0.05) neutrophils, basophils and serum urea and greater (P?<?0.05) serum IgA and IgG compared with the control lambs. The current results emphasised the variation in the efficacy of medicinal plants in ruminant nutrition.     

Utilization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mucuna pruriens</Emphasis> whole pods to feed lactating hair ewes

Twenty nine Pelibuey × Katahdin hair ewes rearing single lamb were used during 42 days of lactation to evaluate the effect of including the Mucuna pruriens whole pods in the diets of lactating ewes on milk production and offspring performance. Animals were distributed at random into three experimental diets: a control diet without Mucuna (M0), and two more diets with the inclusion of 13 (M13) and 26% (M26), of milled pods of Mucuna pruriens, respectively. Dry matter intake, was not significantly different (P?>?0.05) among diets. Milk yield (P?>?0.05) was 734, 786, and 694 g/day for diets M0, M13, and M26, respectively. Milk fat (P?>?0.05), milk protein (P?>?0.05), and milk lactose (P?>?0.05) did not differ between treatments. Lambs had similar daily weight gain (P?>?0.05) among diets (180, 174, and 171 g/day for diets M0, M13, and M26, respectively). Diets with Mucuna whole pods were 5.6 and 12.9% more profitable (M13 and M26, respectively) than control diet. Under the conditions of this work, Mucuna pruriens whole pods can be included up to 26% in the diets of lactating crossbred hair ewes without negatively affecting their productive performance during the first 6 weeks of lactation.     

Growth performance,economic benefits and sensory characteristics of meat from broilers finished on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acacia anguistissima</Emphasis> leaf meal-based diets

The objective of the study was to determine growth performance, viscera organ development, economic benefit and sensory characteristics of meat from broilers finished on Acacia anguistissima leaf meal-based diets. One hundred and eighty Cobb 500-day-old chicks were used in the study. Acacia anguistissima was used as a protein source and included in broiler diets at 0, 50 and 100 g/kg. Total feed intake (TFI), average daily gain (ADG), and gain to feed ratio (G:F) and cost benefit analysis were determined. There were no differences in TFI of broilers across treatments diets. Average daily gain and gain to feed (G:F) ratio were low (P?<?0.05) for broilers feeding on diet with100 g/kg acacia meal. Highest returns from weight gain were obtained from broiler chickens fed on diet with 50 g/kg inclusion level of A. anguistissima (P?<?0.05). Intestinal length increased with inclusion level of A. anguistissima whereas liver and spleen weight decreased with inclusion level of A. anguistissima (P?<?0.05). Female consumers gave higher scores for overall flavour intensity than male consumers (P?<?0.05). Treatment diets influenced consumer sensory characteristics of broiler meat (P?<?0.05). High sensory scores were observed for overall flavour intensity (OFI) for both boiled and deep fried meat from broilers fed 100 g/kg A. anguistissima. It can be concluded that A. anguistissima meal can be used effectively up to 50 g/kg in broiler diets without compromising performance of chickens and can influence a few sensory characteristics.     

Guinea fowl (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Numidia meleagris</Emphasis>) production by small-holder farmers in Zimbabwe

Guinea fowls are a source of high-value meat and eggs, and the birds are more disease resistant than other types of birds. A survey was conducted in ward 23, Chipinge district, Zimbabwe, to characterise guinea fowl management practices and to identify constraints and potential opportunities for increased guinea fowl productivity. Purposive sampling was used to select 84 out of possible 252 guinea fowl owners. Data were collected by direct observation on guinea fowl varieties, feeding strategies and housing facilities. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on farmer experiences, perceptions and common challenges encountered. A chi-squared test was conducted using the IBM SPSS Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. The study revealed that famers keep guinea fowls under free-range management. The average production indices were flock size 18 ± 12, egg production 89 ± 50, hatchability 63.8% and keet survival rate of 75%. Approximately 42.9% of the farmers provide supplementary feed albeit not systematically. There was a significant association between provision of supplementary feed and keet survival rate (χ ² = 21.600, df = 2, P < 0.016) as well as provision of housing and flock size (χ ² = 38.508, df = 3, P < 0.018). The housing provided was substandard. Major challenges faced by farmers were predation, low hatchability and lack of access to profitable markets. The provision of supplements and better housing for birds could improve guinea fowl productivity.     

In vitro control of parasitic nematodes of small ruminants using some plant species containing flavonoids

This study determined in vitro anthelmintic efficacy of three plant species: Trema orientalis, Urtica dioica and Zanthozylum capense on nematode larvae of small ruminants. Dried leaf samples (40 g) were extracted in 70% ethanol, in portions of 10 g and concentrated to 100 ml. Half and one quarter of the original crude extract were both made to 100 ml. Rectal faecal material from 10 Merino sheep and 25 Nguni goats was pooled within species and thoroughly hand-mixed. Dung samples, each of 5 g were cultured for 12 days at 27 °C. On day 13, 4 plates were watered and 4 others treated with ethanol to correct for solvent effect on mortality. The design was 2 (animal species)?×?3 (plant species)?×?3 (extract concentrations). In each of three runs, three plates were treated with each crude extract in three incremental concentrations. Surviving L3 larvae were isolated, counted and mortalities became indices of anthelmintic efficacy. Data from nematode larval mortality were analysed to determine the effect of animal species, plant species, concentration and their interactions. Efficacy was affected by concentration (P?=?0.0001), animal species (P?=?0.0046), plant species (P?=?0.0572), the interactions of animal species and concentration (P?=?0.0010), plant species and concentration (P?=?0.0123) and concentration × animal × plant species (P?=?0.0435).     

Performance and economy of production of broilers fed Siam weed (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Chromolaena odorata</Emphasis>) leaf meal (SWLM)

A 49-day feeding trial was conducted to determine the effect of Siam weed leaf meal (SWLM)-based diets on growth, organ, and carcass weight characteristics and economics of production of broilers. Proximate biochemical composition of SWLM and the appropriate inclusion level of SWLM for optimum productivity were also determined. Ninety-six-day-old Chi broiler chicks were randomly divided into 4 groups of 24 birds, and each group replicated three times. Each group was assigned to one experimental diet in a completely randomized design marked T1 (0%), T2 (4%), T3 (8%), and T4 (12%). Proximate biochemical results revealed that SWLM is rich in protein (20.52%) and minerals (9.29%). Birds on diets T1 and T2 had similar (p >?0.05) final live weights (FLW), which were higher (p <?0.05) than those on diets T3 and T4. Birds on diet T2 had the highest (p?<?0.05) daily feed intake (DFI) and daily weight gain (DWG), while birds on diet T1 had the best feed conversion ratio (FCR) followed by birds on diet T2. The result of quadratic model regression analyses showed that SWLM levels of 1.48, 1.50, 1.47, and 1.56% supported optimum final live weight, DFI, DWG, and FCR. There were no significant (p >?0.05) differences in the dressing percentage, but there were significant differences in the carcass weight between birds on diet T4 and the other three diets. Similarly, pancreas and spleen had similar (p?>?0.05) weights across the treatments. There was significant difference (p?<?0.05) between birds on diets T1 and T4 in gizzard weight. Cost-benefit ratio was influenced (p?<?0.05) with T4 birds having better income of US$1 per US$10.18 invested. It is concluded that SWLM is rich in essential nutrients and therefore suitable for inclusion in broiler diets at level not beyond 2% for best final live weight, daily weight gain, and thigh weight.     

Effects of pre-germinated fenugreek seeds inclusion in low-fiber diets on post-weaned rabbits’ health status,growth performances,carcass characteristics,and meat chemical composition

Newly weaned rabbits frequently suffer from digestive disorders particularly when fed low-fiber diets. Fenugreek seeds are rich in dietary fiber and would be suited to moderate such disorders. This study investigated the effect of pre-germinated fenugreek seeds (PGFS) on rabbits’ health, digestibility, growth performance, and carcass parameters. Fourteen weaned rabbits were fed one of the following diets: (1) low fiber as negative control (NC), (2) low fiber containing 5% PGFS (F5), (3) low fiber containing 10% PGFS (F10), and (4) adequate fiber as positive control (PC). Each rabbit was reared in an individual cage for 7 weeks. Morbidity and sanitary risk indexes were not different (P?>?0.05) between the four diets. Only 20% of the rabbits had a detectable caecal Escherichia Coli (E. coli) count (<10⁵ cfu/g), and all rabbits did not show Eimeria oocysts in their feces. Compared to NC, PC gave a lower (P?<?0.05) weight gain and a higher (P?<?0.05) feed conversion ratio (FCR). It was associated with a lighter (P?<?0.05) chilled carcass weight, and its meat had slightly more moisture and ether extract with less protein. Inclusion of PGFS decreased (P?<?0.05) feed intake at the 10% level and, consequently, tended to improve FCR, while no effect was detected on carcass characteristics and meat composition. This study suggested that (1) the low-fiber diet was adequate for both health and growth aspects of post-weaned rabbits, and (2) the inclusion of PGFS was without consequence on rabbits’ health status and growth performance.     

Digestion and metabolism of low and high residual feed intake Nellore bulls

Understanding the reasons why animals of similar performances have different feed requirements is important to increase profits for cattle producers and to decrease the environmental footprint of beef cattle production. This study was carried out aiming to identify the associations between residual feed intake (RFI) and animal performance, nutrient digestibility, and blood metabolites related to energy balance of young Nellore bulls during the finishing period. Animals previously classified as low (n?=?13) and high RFI (n?=?12), with average initial body weight of 398 kg and age of 503 days were used. Cattle were fed a high energy diet and were slaughtered when rib fat thickness measured by ultrasound between the 12th and 13th ribs reached the minimum of 4 mm. A completely randomized design was adopted, being data analyzed with a mixed model that included the random effect of slaughter group, the fixed effect of RFI class, and linear effect of the covariate feedlot time. No differences were found (p?>?0.10) between RFI classes for performance, dry matter, and nutrients intake. However, dry (p?=?0.0911) and organic matter (p?=?0.0876) digestibility tended to be lower, and digestibility of neutral detergent fiber corrected for ash and protein (p?=?0.0017), and total digestible nutrients (p?=?0.0657) were lower for high RFI animals, indicating lesser capacity of food utilization. Difference between low and high RFI animals was also found for blood cortisol at the end of the trial (p?=?0.0044), having low RFI animals lower cortisol concentrations. Differences in the ability to digest food can affect the efficiency of transforming feed into meat by Nellore cattle.     

Effect of dietary inclusion of date seed (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Phoenix dactylifera</Emphasis> L.) on intake,digestibility, milk production,and milk fatty acid profile of Holstein dairy cows

The objective of this experiment was to investigate the influence of ground date seed (GDS) on intake, digestibility, and milk yield and milk fatty acid (FA) composition of lactating Holstein cows. The experimental design was a 4?×?4 replicated Latin square with eight lactating dairy cows with an average milk production of 35.5?±?1.5 kg and 75?±?5 days in milk (DIM). Dairy cows were fed one of the four treatments contained 0, 2, 4, and 6% of diet dry matter (DM) GDS in replacement of wheat bran. All diets contained the same amount of forages (alfalfa hay and corn silage). Dietary treatments had no effect on DM intake (DMI), total tract apparent digestibility, milk yield, and milk composition. Increasing GDS linearly decreased concentration of C13:0 and increased cis-9 C14:1 and trans-11 C18:1 (vaccenic acid) (P?<?0.05). A linear tendency for more C16:1 content in milk fat was observed with increasing GDS (P?=?0.06). Feeding GDS resulted in a linear decrease (P?<?0.01) in saturated FA (SFA) but increased milk fat monounsaturated FA (MUFA) and trans FA (TFA) (P?<?0.05). Therefore, low levels of GDS (up to 6%) in the diet of Holstein dairy cows can beneficially modify milk FA composition without any adverse effects on intake, digestibility, and milk yield.     

Effects of different dietary inclusion levels of macadamia oil cake on growth performance and carcass characteristics in South African mutton merino lambs

Growth performance and carcass characteristics of South African mutton merino fed graded levels of macadamia oil cake were assessed. A total of 60 South African mutton merino lambs were used in the experiment (initial live weight 25.0?±?0.45 kg). Five diets with different inclusion levels of macadamia oil cake (MOC) were formulated: T1 (0% MOC, control), T2 (5% MOC), T3 (10% MOC), T4 (15% MOC) and T5 (20% MOC). Effects of inclusion level of MOC on average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) were not significant (P?>?0.05). Effects of inclusion levels of MOC on feed conversion ratio (FCR) of sheep were significant (P?<?0.05). Highest proportion (71.2%) of sheep in the study had a carcass fat classification of 2, followed by a proportion of 17.3% sheep with a carcass fat classification of 3 and lastly 11.5% sheep had carcass fat classification of 4. Warm and cold carcass mass, chest circumference, carcass length and dressing percentage were higher in sheep fed on 5% MOC compared to other treatment diets (0, 10, 15 and 20% MOC) (P?<?0.05). Fat rib eye had a greater area in sheep fed on 5% MOC (P?<?0.05). It was concluded that 5% MOC provided the best results in terms of carcass characteristic measurements in sheep.     

The effect of post-mating hCG or progesterone administration on reproductive performance of Afshari × Booroola-Merino crossbred ewes

To investigate the efficiency of hCG/CIDR after breeding to increase the reproductive performance, 35 synchronized ewes were mated with fertile rams and were assigned to three treatment groups. Ewes in hCG group (n?=?12) received 400 IU hCG on day 11 post-mating, and ewes in CIDR group (n?=?11) received CIDR from day 7 until day 19 post-mating. Ewes in the control group (n?=?12) did not receive any treatment. Blood samples were collected on days 7, 12, 17, and 22 post-mating. Plasma P₄ concentrations were higher on days 12 and 17 post-mating in hCG- and CIDR-treated groups (P?<?0.05). However, the concentrations of P₄ on day 22 post-mating in hCG and control groups were higher than that in CIDR group (P?<?0.05). Ewes in hCG group produced more quadruplets (P?<?0.05) and triplets, and as a result, they had a larger litter size (P?<?0.05). The lamb mortality rate by weaning in hCG group (3.6%) was less than that in control (11.8%; P?<?0.05) and CIDR (9.1%; P?>?0.05) groups. Post-mating administration of hCG or CIDR did not affect the lamb birth weight in single and quadruplet births (P?>?0.05), but the birth weight of twin lambs was higher in the hCG and CIDR groups (P?<?0.05). Weaning weights of twin lambs were higher in the hCG and CIDR groups (P?<?0.05). In conclusion, hCG/CIDR administration post-mating increased the maternal P₄ concentrations and enhanced reproductive performance.     

Broiler performance on finisher diets containing different levels of either <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pleurotus ostreatus</Emphasis>-fermented dried cocoa pod husk or dried cocoa pod husk supplemented with enzymes

The purpose was to investigate the feeding value of fibrous cocoa pod husk (CPH) either fermented with Pleurotus ostreatus or supplemented with fibre-degrading multi-enzymes (Viscozyme®L?+?Pectinex®5XL) before inclusion in diets for 3-week-old finishing broilers. Growth performance and carcass yield of broilers fed diets containing 100, 200 or 300 g kg^?1 of the P. ostreatus-fermented CPH or 100, 200 or 300 g kg^?1 of the enzyme-supplemented CPH as well as a normal broiler finisher diet (control), were investigated in a 35-day feeding trial setup as a completely randomised design, with the seven treatments replicated three times. There were significant differences (P?P. ostreatus-fermented dried CPH up to a level of 200 g kg^?1 and enzyme-supplemented dried CPH up to a level of 100 g kg^?1 could be included in broiler finisher diets without any deleterious effects.     

Prevalence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Haemonchus contortus</Emphasis> infection in sheep slaughtered at Jimma town municipal abattoir,Ethiopia

Haemonchus contortus is a parasite of major economic importance of most sheep-rearing areas of the world. A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2015 to March 2016 with objectives of determining the prevalence and associated risk factors of Haemonchus contortus infection in sheep slaughtered at Jimma town municipal abattoir, Ethiopia. Of the total 7000 sheep slaughtered during the study time period, 384 sheep were randomly selected and examined for parasites. The overall prevalence of Haemonchus contortus infection was 264 (68.75%). Infection rate of poor body condition animals was significantly (P?=?0.000) higher than good body conditioned animals. The mean packed cell volume (PCV) values (%) of parasitemic and aparasitemic sheep were 23.73?±?3.7 SD and 37.66?±?4.736 SD, respectively. The prevalence in adult sheep (>?1 year) was insignificantly (P?=?0.653) higher than that of young sheep (≤?1 year). The highest prevalence was recorded in sheep that originated from Seka district (73.3%) and the lowest in Kersa district (63.4%) with non-significant variation (P?=?0.691). The highest monthly mean worm burdens and prevalence of Haemonchus contortus infection were recorded in November and lowest in March. The current study revealed that Haemonchus contortus infection is an important and common parasitic disease and requires special attention to its control.     

Performance and carcass characteristics of lambs fed diets with increasing levels of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mimosa tenuiflora</Emphasis> (Willd.) hay replacing Buffel grass hay

This study evaluated the performance and carcass characteristics of lambs fed diets with increasing levels of Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) hay replacing Buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris). Twenty-eight Santa Inês male lambs with an average body weight (BW) of 20.3 ± 1.49 kg(mean ± SD) were allocated in individual stalls and distributed in a completely random design with four treatments (0, 20, 40, and 60 g/100 g total DM M. tenuiflora hay replacing Buffel grass hay in diet) with seven replications. M. tenuiflora hay at the level of 20% dry matter (DM) total replacing Buffel grass hay increased final weight (P = 0.006), total weight gain (P < 0.001), average daily weight gain (ADWG; P < 0.001), DM intake (P < 0.001), and feed efficiency (P < 0.001). Intake of crude protein, NDF_ap, ADF_ap, ash, ether extract, total and non-fibrous carbohydrates, and total digestible nutrients presented a positive quadratic effect with M. tenuiflora hay replacing Buffel grass hay and 40 g/100 g total DM level presented greater intake. There were positive quadratic effects by M. tenuiflora hay inclusion at 20 g/100 g total DM level on slaughtering weight (P = 0.005), hot carcass weight (P = 0.002), cold carcass weight (P = 0.002), empty body weight (P = 0.001), hot carcass yield (P = 0.002), cold carcass yield (P = 0.003), and increase linear on biological yield (P = 0.003). There was no influence on cooling weight loss (P = 0.284). M. tenuiflora hay may be included in lamb diets at amounts up to 20 g/100 g total DM substitution of Buffel grass hay because increase in the nutrients intake, growth performance, and carcass characteristics.     

Effect of grape seed and skin supplement on milk yield and composition of dairy ewes

In the present study, we investigated the effect of grape seed and skin supplement (GSSS), on lactating dairy ewes’ production. Ten dairy pregnant ewes from northern Tunisia were allocated to two groups: control diet (C) and supplemented with 20 % (w/w) GSSS. The experiment lasted for 8 weeks and took place after 2 months of lambing. During the experiment, daily milk yield and milk composition were determined. Supplementation of the diet with GSSS increased milk production (P?<?0.001), calcium (P?<?0.01), free iron (P?<?0.01) and urea content (P?<?0.001) but had no effect on milk fat nor protein. From these data, it is concluded that the inclusion of GSSS in sheep diets increased significantly ewes’ milk yield.     

Rumen development and growth of Balouchi lambs offered alfalfa hay pre- and post-weaning

The consumption of solid feed is essential for successful transition from a pre-ruminant to a functional digestive tract. Lambs fed starter rations containing highly fermentable carbohydrates often experience dramatic changes in concentrations of rumen and blood metabolites. The optimal amount of roughage required in the diet of pre-ruminant animals is still unclear. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of feeding alfalfa hay on performance and rumen development in young Balouchi lambs. In a completely randomized design, 30 lambs were fed one of three experimental diets consisting of a control, without alfalfa hay (C), a diet containing 7.5% alfalfa hay (A1), and a diet containing 15% alfalfa hay (A2). Lambs fed A1 and A2 diets had lower dry matter intake during the pre-weaning period (P?P?=?0.02), but feed conversion ratio and average daily gain were not affected by feeding alfalfa hay. Concentration of beta-hydroxybutyric acid was higher in C compared with the A1 and A2 groups (P?P?=?0.04) and increased thickness of muscular layer (P?=?0.05). We concluded that including 15% alfalfa hay in the starter diet could reduce thickness of the keratinization layer and increase muscularity of rumen wall without adverse effects on growth and performance of newborn lambs.