Animals & nature · 2019
Do growing lambs gain more weight when sprouted barley makes up part of their diet?
In a 90-day trial with 28 Rahmani lambs, groups fed green barley at 20%, 40% and 60% of had 15%, 27% and 31% higher average daily weight gains, respectively, than the control group.
Details
A growth trial used 28 Rahmani lambs to examine the effect of sprouted barley grain in sheep rations.
The trial lasted 90 days and investigated growth performance, digestion coefficients, and rumen and blood parameters.
The control group (G1) received clover hay (CH) and a concentrate feed mixture (CFM) at a ratio of 30 CH:70 CFM. Groups G2, G3 and G4 received green barley at 20%, 40% and 60% of dry matter intake, respectively, along with clover hay and CFM.
G4 had significantly higher digestibility of crude protein, ether extract, neutral detergent fiber and hemicellulose, followed in descending order by G3, G2 and G1.
Rumen pH was significantly higher in G1 than in the other groups at 4 hours and for the overall mean values.
There were no significant differences in total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) concentrations among the groups at any sampling time.
Average daily weight gain was higher than in the control group by 15% in G2, 27% in G3 and 31% in G4.
Overall, the study concluded that feeding sprouted grains had positive effects on the performance of growing lambs.
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