Effects of feeding salt-tolerant forages cultivated in salt-alkaline land on intake, average liveweight gain, physiological responses and slaughtering performance in lamb

• Published in: Livestock science Vol. 137; no. 1-3; pp. 18 - 23
• Main Authors: Wang, C., Dong, K.H., Liu, Q., Yang, W.Z., Zhao, X., Liu, S.Q., He, T.T., Liu, Z.Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.05.2011; Amsterdam; New York: Elsevier
• Subjects: Average liveweight gain; body weight; carcass weight; corn stover; diet; dressing percentage; feed conversion; feed intake; forage; heart rate; Lamb; lambs; liveweight gain; longissimus muscle; meat production; Merino; mutton; physiological response; Physiological responses; respiratory rate; Salt-tolerant forages; slaughter; Slaughtering performance; China; DE; ADF; ADG; DM; CP; Physiological responses; Salt-tolerant forages; Lamb; NDF; FCR; Average liveweight gain; BW; Slaughtering performance; OM
• ISSN: 1871-1413; 1878-0490
• DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2010.09.020

The objective was to evaluate effects of feeding salt-tolerant forages cultivated in salt-alkaline land on intake, average liveweight gain, physiological responses and slaughtering performance in lamb. Sixty first generation (F1) lambs of a cross between Chinese Inner Mongolian Fine-wool and German Mutton Merino (3.0±0.12months; 23.5±0.83kg of body weight [BW]), were arranged into four treatments. Treatments were: control (51% corn stover and 49% concentrate, dry matter [DM] basis), LSTF, MSTF and HSTF in which the mixture of salt-tolerant forages (Dahuria wildrye grass, Weeping Alkaligrass and Erect Milkvetch by a ratio of 45:35:20) replaced either one-third, two-thirds or all of the corn stover, respectively. Lambs were fed twice daily at 0700 and 1900h with water provided ad libitum during the 60-day growth trial. Average liveweight gain, pulse rate, respiratory rate, rectal temperature, liveweight at slaughter and bone weight were not different between treatments. With increasing the inclusion of salt-tolerant forages in the diet, DM, NDF and ADF intake linearly (P=0.001) increased to be higher (P<0.01) for LSTF, MSTF and HSTF diets than for control, but CP intake was unchanged. Feed conversion rate linearly (P=0.001) increased with the least for control, followed by LSTF, the highest for MSTF and HSTF diets. Carcass weight and meat weight linearly (P<0.03) increased to be higher (P<0.02) for LSTF, MSTF and HSTF diets than for control. Dressing percentage, meat percentage and the ratio of meat to bone linearly increased for being higher (P<0.05) with LSTF, MSTF and HSTF diets than with control. Average longissimus muscle area quadratically (P=0.005) increased with the least for control, followed by HSTF, the highest for LSTF and HSTF diets. Results indicate that feeding salt-tolerant forages to lambs as partial or sole forage source can be beneficial for increasing feed intake and increase meat production.