Effects of fish meal and sodium bentonite on daily gain, wool growth, carcass characteristics, and ruminal and blood characteristics of lambs fed concentrate diets

• Published in: Journal of animal science Vol. 76; no. 8; pp. 2025 - 2031
• Main Authors: Walz, L.S, White, T.W, Fernandez, J.M, Gentry, L.R, Blouin, D.C, Froetschel, M.A, Brown, T.F, Lupton, C.J, Chapa, A.M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Savoy, IL Am Soc Animal Sci 01.08.1998; American Society of Animal Science; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Animal Feed; Animal productions; Animals; bentonite; Bentonite - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; blood plasma; Blood Proteins - analysis; Blood Urea Nitrogen; Body Composition - drug effects; Bone and Bones - chemistry; bones; carcass composition; corn; cottonseed hulls; Diet - veterinary; dietary protein; Dietary Proteins - administration & dosage; dry matter; feed intake; Feeds; Female; fish meal; Fish Products; fleece weight; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Kidney - chemistry; kidneys; lambs; liver; Liver - chemistry; liveweight gain; Male; Meat - standards; mineral content; Minerals - analysis; Physical growth; Random Allocation; Rumen - chemistry; rumen fluids; Sheep; Sheep - blood; Sheep - growth & development; Sheep - physiology; soybean meal; Terrestrial animal productions; urea; Vertebrates; volatile fatty acids; Weight Gain - drug effects; Wool - growth & development; Farming animal; Animal feeding; Ruminant animal; Fish meal; Concentrated product; Lamb; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Diet; Bentonite; Sheep; Artiodactyla; Ungulata; Feed; Food supplement; Digestibility
• ISSN: 0021-8812; 1525-3163; 0021-8812
• DOI: 10.2527/1998.7682025x

We evaluated the effects of replacing some soybean meal (SBM) protein with fish meal (FM) protein in diets adequate and slightly deficient in CP, with or without .75% sodium bentonite (NaB) on performance and ruminal and blood metabolites of individually fed Suffolk lambs. Diets were based on corn, SBM, and cottonseed hulls. In Exp. 1, five lambs were assigned to each of the three dietary treatments (11% CP with 3% FM, 13% CP with 0 or 3% FM). Lambs fed diets that contained 11% CP with 3% FM or 13% CP with 0% FM had similar DMI and ADG. Gain and feed efficiency were slightly improved (P = .18) by the 13% CP diet with 3% FM. In Exp. 2, 32 lambs were assigned to four dietary treatments (13.5% CP of DM) in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement (0 or 3% FM, and 0 or .75% NaB on an as-fed basis). The DMI and ADG were increased (P < .05) by FM and NaB supplementation. Interactions (P < .05) revealed that NaB increased DMI, ADG, gain per feed (g/kg of DMI), and plasma urea N concentration in the absence of FM but not in the presence of FM in the diet. Neither FM nor NaB influenced (P = .25) wool growth. Total ruminal VFA were increased (P < .06) by FM and NaB. Differences in mineral content of phalanx bone, liver, and kidney were small and may be related to the mineral content of diets and the effect of NaB on mineral solubilities. Similar DMI and ADG of lambs fed FM and NaB separately and in combination suggest that their beneficial effect is not additive.