Nutrient Intake, Acid Base Status and Growth Performance of Thalli Lambs Fed Varying Level of Dietary Cation-anion Difference

• Published in: Asian-australasian journal of animal sciences Vol. 20; no. 11; pp. 1713 - 1720
• Main Authors: Sarwar, M, Shahzad, M. Aasif, Nisa, Mahr-un
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 2007
• Subjects: Growth; Nitrogen and Calcium Balance; DCAD; Thalli Lambs
• ISSN: 1011-2367; 1976-5517

Influence of -110, +110, +220 and +330 mEq/kg of dry matter (DM) dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) on growth performance of Thalli lambs were examined in a randomized complete block design. Four DCAD diets were randomly allotted to four groups, with ten lambs in each group. A linear increase in nutrient intake was recorded with increasing DCAD level. The digestibilities of nutrients were higher in lambs fed -110 DCAD diet than those fed +110, +220 and +330 DCAD diets. Lambs fed +330 DCAD diet had higher nitrogen balance than those fed -110 and +110 DCAD diets. Blood pH and serum $HCO_3$ increased with increasing DCAD level. Serum chloride was higher in lambs fed -110 DCAD diet, while serum (Na+K)-(Cl+S) increased linearly with increasing DCAD level. Serum calcium increased with decreasing DCAD level while serum magnesium and phosphorus remained unaffected. Lambs fed -110 DCAD diet had higher Ca balance than those fed +110, +220 and +330 DCAD diets. Urine pH increased with increasing DCAD level. Lambs fed +220 and +330 DCAD diets gained more weight than those fed -110 and +110 DCAD diets. In conclusion, increased DCAD level not only increased the dry matter intake but also improved the weight gain of growing Thalli lambs.