{"title":"Feed preference, body condition scoring, and growth performance of Dohne Merino ram fed varying levels of fossil shell flour","authors":"O. Ikusika, C. T. Mpendulo","doi":"10.1515/opag-2022-0161","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Acceptability of a diet is one factor that determines an animal’s growth performance. Some feed additives in the category of dietary clay, including fossil shell flour (FSF), have been identified to enhance performance of livestock. Therefore, the influence of varying inclusion levels of FSF supplementation on feed acceptability, body condition scores, and growth performance of Dohne Merino sheep was evaluated. Twenty-four Dohne Merino rams were completely randomised and individually housed in pens for 90 days. Four different supplementation levels of FSF (0, 20, 40, and 60g/kg) were considered treatments for the rams. The average daily feed intake, body condition score, average daily weight gain (g), and coefficient of preference were significantly higher in rams supplemented with 60 g FSF/kg than the other treatments (P < 0.05). The experimental diet colour was brown for 0 g FSF/kg, while in 20, 40, and 60 g FSF/kg, it ranged from light brown to slightly deep brown. The texture of diets with 0 g FSF/kg was moderately firm, while diets with 20, 40, and 60 g FSF/kg had a firm texture. The order of preference of diets supplemented with FSF in feed intake by Dohne Merino rams was: 60 g FSF/kg > 40 g FSF/kg > 20 g FSF/kg > 0 g FSF/kg. Therefore, FSF at a minimum inclusion level of 40 g FSF/kg can improve feed intake, body condition score, and feeding behaviour of Dohne Merino rams by increasing the acceptability of the diet.","PeriodicalId":45740,"journal":{"name":"Open Agriculture","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Open Agriculture","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1515/opag-2022-0161","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"AGRICULTURE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Abstract Acceptability of a diet is one factor that determines an animal’s growth performance. Some feed additives in the category of dietary clay, including fossil shell flour (FSF), have been identified to enhance performance of livestock. Therefore, the influence of varying inclusion levels of FSF supplementation on feed acceptability, body condition scores, and growth performance of Dohne Merino sheep was evaluated. Twenty-four Dohne Merino rams were completely randomised and individually housed in pens for 90 days. Four different supplementation levels of FSF (0, 20, 40, and 60g/kg) were considered treatments for the rams. The average daily feed intake, body condition score, average daily weight gain (g), and coefficient of preference were significantly higher in rams supplemented with 60 g FSF/kg than the other treatments (P < 0.05). The experimental diet colour was brown for 0 g FSF/kg, while in 20, 40, and 60 g FSF/kg, it ranged from light brown to slightly deep brown. The texture of diets with 0 g FSF/kg was moderately firm, while diets with 20, 40, and 60 g FSF/kg had a firm texture. The order of preference of diets supplemented with FSF in feed intake by Dohne Merino rams was: 60 g FSF/kg > 40 g FSF/kg > 20 g FSF/kg > 0 g FSF/kg. Therefore, FSF at a minimum inclusion level of 40 g FSF/kg can improve feed intake, body condition score, and feeding behaviour of Dohne Merino rams by increasing the acceptability of the diet.
摘要饮食的可接受性是决定动物生长性能的一个因素。饲料粘土类中的一些饲料添加剂,包括化石贝壳粉(FSF),已被确定可以提高牲畜的性能。因此,评估了不同FSF添加水平对Dohne Merino绵羊饲料可接受性、身体状况评分和生长性能的影响。24只Dohne Merino公羊被完全随机分配,并单独圈养90天。四种不同的FSF补充水平(0、20、40和60g/kg)被认为是对公羊的处理。添加60的公羊的平均日采食量、身体状况评分、平均日增重(g)和偏好系数显著较高 g FSF/kg组与其他处理组比较有显著性差异(P<0.05) g FSF/kg,而在20、40和60 g FSF/kg,范围从浅棕色到略深棕色。0的饮食结构 g FSF/kg是中等硬度的,而20、40和60的日粮 g FSF/kg具有牢固的质地。多恩美利奴公羊日粮中添加FSF的偏好顺序为:60 g FSF/kg>40 g FSF/kg>20 g FSF/kg>0 g FSF/kg。因此,FSF最低包含水平为40 g FSF/kg可以通过提高日粮的可接受性来改善多恩美利奴公羊的采食量、身体状况评分和喂养行为。
期刊介绍:
Open Agriculture is an open access journal that publishes original articles reflecting the latest achievements on agro-ecology, soil science, plant science, horticulture, forestry, wood technology, zootechnics and veterinary medicine, entomology, aquaculture, hydrology, food science, agricultural economics, agricultural engineering, climate-based agriculture, amelioration, social sciences in agriculuture, smart farming technologies, farm management.