• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.29-35
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• 2003

In order to find the feasibility of feeding raw or processed cotton (Gossypium) seed meal (CSM), 30 male crossbred lambs were randomly assigned to 5 dietary treatments with 6 animals each. Lambs were fed each of the isonitrogenous and isocaloric concentrate mixtures containing 30% deoiled groundnut cake (DGNC) (reference diet), 40% raw, 45 minute cooked, 1% $Ca(OH)_2$ or iron (1 part free gossypol:0.3 parts iron) treated CSM (replacing about 50% nitrogen moiety of reference concentrate mixture). The concentrate mixture was fed to meet 80% of CP requirements (NRC, 1985) along with ad libitum maize (Zea mays) hay for 180 days. Incorporation of raw or processed CSM did not affect the palatability of diets as evidenced by higher (p<0.01) or comparable overall daily intakes of DM and protein (CP and Digestible CP) per kg $W^{0.75}$ by lambs in comparison to reference group. Intakes of DE and ME increased (p<0.01) due to inclusion $Ca(OH)_2$ treated CSM in diets, while the intakes were lower (p<0.01) on iron treated CSM based diet when compared with reference diet. The intakes of DM, CP, TDN, DE and ME by reference and experimental lambs were higher than the requirements stipulated by NRC (1985). The growth rate was highest (p<0.01) in lambs fed on diets with cooked CSM followed by those fed raw or $Ca(OH)_2$ treated CSM based diets. The growth of lambs fed on iron treated CSM diets was depressed (p<0.01) in comparison to that of other experimental lambs probably due to increased iron intake (889 mg/kg DM of diet) which was much higher than the toxic levels of 500 ppm (NRC, 1980). The lambs on various diets utilized DM with similar efficiency while the utilization of energy (TDN, DE and ME) was more efficient (p<0.01) when the diets contained raw or cooked CSM in comparison to that of reference diet. The lambs fed raw and $Ca(OH)_2$ treated CSM incorporated diets utilized DCP with higher (p<0.01) efficiency than the lambs fed reference diet. The feed cost per kg weight gain was lower (p<0.01) on raw, cooked and $Ca(OH)_2$ treated CSM based diets in comparison to reference diet. Cooking of CSM for 45 minutes further reduced the feed cost of weight gain.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.11
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• pp.1655-1665
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• 2023

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of three feeding systems, i.e., indoor feeding (CON), indoor feeding with 4-h daily access to grazing artificial pasture (ITGP), and indoor feeding with 8-h daily access to grazing artificial pasture (IEGP), on the plasma antioxidant and immunological capacity, slaughter characteristics, meat quality and economic efficiency of Huang-huai lambs. Methods: Thirty-three healthy Huang-huai rams with similar body weight (approximately 5 mo of age, 28.96±1.01 kg) were assigned equally to three experimental groups. When finished fattening, six lambs from each group were collect blood samples for plasma analyses and then slaughtered to determine slaughter characteristics and obtain biceps brachii muscle for further analysis of meat quality and fatty acid profile. Results: Compared to CON group, animals submitted to ITGP and IEGP groups resulted in greater contents of serum glutathione peroxidase, immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, and IgM), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), n-6 PUFA, and PUFA/saturated fatty acid (FA) ratio and lower palmitic /oleic acid ratio (p<0.05). Moreover, animals in ITGP group exhibited a higher (p<0.05) loin eye area, content of meat crude protein (CP), and eicosetrienoic acid compared to CON group, while slaughter performance was superior (p<0.05) to that of the IEGP group. The economic efficiency of ITGP group was 70.12% higher than that of CON group, while the IEGP group exhibited a decrease of 92.54% in economic efficiency compared to the CON group. Conclusion: Restricted grazing time combined with indoor feeding was more effective in conferring superior body health, carcass traits and economic efficiency in Huang-huai lambs, as well as higher CP content and healthier FA composition in the resulting meat.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.161-164
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• 1990

Ninety six Rambouillet ${\times}$ Kaghani intact male lambs of 18 months of age were divided into 6 groups of 16 lambs each, groups being G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, G-5 and G-6. Average liveweight of animals on different treatments at day 0 of the experiment was G-1 (24.68 S.D 3.35), G-2 (24.56 S.D 2.55), G-3 (24.53 S.D 2.90), G-4 (24.51 S.D 3.38), G-5 (24.58 S.D 3.58) and G-6 (24.81 S.D 3.43). Animals on treatment G-1 were fed only maize silage ad libitum, G-2 had been offered maize silage ad libitum plus 4.8 kg of commercial concentrate (Sona Vanda) per group, G-3 maize silage ad libitum plus 4.8 kg of crushed maize grain per group. G-4 lambs were fed oat silage ad libitum plus 4.8 kg of crushed maize per group, G-5 oat silage plus 4.8 kg of commercial concentrate per group and G-6 only oat silage ad libitum. The results showed highly significant differences (p<0.01) among treatment groups in silage intake throughout the feeding trial. G-2 group showed the highest silage intake while treatment G-4 showed the lowest silage intake for the first two months and treatment G-6 for the last two months. The results of growth rates (g/d/animal) showed that treatments G-1 and G-6, where no supplementation was given, had a weight loss throughout the feeding trial. However, weight loss in treatment G-6 was more severe than treatment G-1. Treatments G-2, G-3, G-4 and G-5 all showed weight gain however, treatment G-2 had the most gain. G-2 group also showed the highest wool production while G-6 the lowest. These results indicated that silage when made from full bloom crops of oats and silage fed alone without any supplementation causes weight loss in sheep. Supplementation with concentrates having 19% CP is far better than the crushed maize grain and maize silage is better than oats silage. Maize silage is superior than oat silage however, better performance could be expected if silages were made at the early bloom (dough) stage of plant maturity. The results indicate that treatment G-2 shows highest response while treatment G-6 the lowest. So the response of different treatments on both the parameters of weight gain and wool production is almost similar.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.8
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• pp.1140-1149
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• 2015

This research aimed to define the energy requirement of Dorper and Hu Hybrid $F_1$ ewes 20 to 50 kg of body weight, furthermore to study energy requirement changes with age and evaluate the effect of age on energy requirement parameters. In comparative slaughter trial, thirty animals were divided into three dry matter intake treatments (ad libitum, n = 18; low restricted, n = 6; high restricted, n = 6), and were all slaughtered as baseline, intermediate, and final slaughter groups, to calculate body chemical components and energy retained. In digestibility trial, twelve ewes were housed in individual metabolic cages and randomly assigned to three feeding treatments in accordance with the design of a comparative slaughter trial, to evaluate dietary energetic values at different feed intake levels. The combined data indicated that, with increasing age, the net energy requirement for maintenance ($NE_m$) decreased from $260.62{\pm}13.21$ to $250.61{\pm}11.79kJ/kg^{0.75}$ of shrunk body weight (SBW)/d, and metabolizable energy requirement for maintenance (MEm) decreased from $401.99{\pm}20.31$ to $371.23{\pm}17.47kJ/kg^{0.75}$ of SBW/d. Partial efficiency of ME utilization for maintenance ($k_m$, 0.65 vs 0.68) and growth ($k_g$, 0.42 vs 0.41) did not differ (p>0.05) due to age; At the similar condition of average daily gain, net energy requirements for growth ($NE_g$) and metabolizable energy requirements for growth ($ME_g$) for ewes during late fattening period were 23% and 25% greater than corresponding values of ewes during early fattening period. In conclusion, the effect of age upon energy requirement parameters in the present study were similar in tendency with previous recommendations, values of energy requirement for growth ($NE_g$ and $ME_g$) for Dorper and Hu crossbred female lambs ranged between the NRC (2007) recommendation for early and later maturating growing sheep.