Residual Feed Intake and Rumen Metabolism in Growing Pelibuey Sheep

• Published in: Animals (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 5; p. 572
• Main Authors: Arce-Recinos, Carlos, Ojeda-Robertos, Nadia Florencia, Garcia-Herrera, Ricardo Alfonso, Ramos-Juarez, Jesús Alberto, Piñeiro-Vázquez, Ángel Trinidad, Canul-Solís, Jorge Rodolfo, Castillo-Sanchez, Luis Enrique, Casanova-Lugo, Fernando, Vargas-Bello-Pérez, Einar, Chay-Canul, Alfonso Juventino
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 24.02.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Ammonia; Animals; Dry matter; Efficiency; Emission standards; Emissions; Energy; Energy loss; Environmental impact; Esophagus; Fatty acids; Feed efficiency; Feeds; Growth rate; Independent variables; Lamb; Livestock; Metabolism; Methane; Nitrogen; Organic matter; Pelibuey; Production costs; Proteins; residual feed intake; Rumen; rumen fermentation; Sheep; Statistical analysis; volatile fatty acids; United States > US; Mexico; volatile fatty acids; methane; rumen fermentation; Pelibuey; residual feed intake
• ISSN: 2076-2615; 2076-2615
• DOI: 10.3390/ani12050572

This study was carried out to evaluate the residual feed intake (RFI), volatile fatty acid (VFA) production and enteric methane (CH4) from growing Pelibuey sheep. In this case, 12 non-castrated Pelibuey with an initial average live weight (LW) of 21.17 ± 3.87 kg and an age of 3 months, were housed in individual pens and fed a basal diet with 16% of crude protein and 11 MJ ME for 45 days. Dry matter intake (DMI) was measured and the daily weight gain (DWG) was calculated using a linear regression between the LW and experimental period. Mean metabolic live weight (LW0.75) was calculated. RFI was determined by linear regression with DWG and LW0.75 as independent variables. Lambs were classified as low, medium, and high RFI. Feed efficiency was determined as DWG/DMI. For determining rumen pH, ammonia nitrogen concentration NH3-N), and VFA, ruminal fluid was obtained using an esophageal probe on day 40. Feed intake of low RFI lambs was approximately 16% lower (p < 0.05) while growth rate was not significantly different. Their average energy loss, expressed as CH4 production per kilogram of metabolic weight, was 17% lower (p < 0.05).