Effect of supplementing graded levels of wet brewery grain by-product to natural pasture hay and wheat bran based diet on the performance of Tigray highland sheep, Northern Ethiopia

A feeding trial was conducted for 84 days followed by 7 days of fecal collection to determine performance and also digestibility of nutrients at Maichew ATVET College in Tigray, North Ethiopia using 24 yearling intact male local sheep grouped into six blocks of four sheep based on their initial body weight and each block assigned to each of the four treatments diets. The basal diet was composed of natural pasture hay (ad libitum), wheat bran (309 g/sheep/d) and salt (3 g/head/d) and test diet (graded levels of wet brewery grain by-product=WBGB). Treatment diets were: T1 (basal diet+0g WBGB/head/day), T2 (basal diet + 210g WBGB/head/day), T3 (basal diet + 280g WBGB/head/day) and T4 (basal diet + 350g WBGB/head/day). ANOVA of data was conducted using General Linear Model (GLM) procedures of SAS; and means compared using Tukey’s HSD test (p<0.05). Dry matter, organic matter and crude protein intake and digestibility significantly increased (p<0.05) with increasing levels of supplementation. Higher average daily body weight and feed conversion efficiency (p≤ 0.05) were recorded in T4 followed by T3, T2, and T1. Hot carcass weight (9-11 kg), rib eye muscle area as a sign of degree of muscling (7.20 -10.70cm2 ), net return and marginal rate of return (MRR) were higher (p<0.05) in supplemented than in T1 fed sheep, with best results in T4. It can be recommended that sheep can be supplemented up to 124 g dried BGB or 350 g WBGB because it gave better body weight and carcass performances and MRR.