Evaluation of Replacing Concentrate with Mulato II and Greenleaf Desmodium (Desmodium intortum) Mixed Forages on Intake, Digestibility and Growth Performance of Farta Sheep
Muluye Fekade *
Department of Animal Science, Bahir dar University, P.O.Box 5501, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia and Department of Animal Science, Debark University, P.O.Box 90, Debark, Ethiopia.
Yeshambel Mekuriaw
Department of Animal Science, Bahir Dar University, P.O.Box 5501, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
Getachew Animut
Department of Livestock, Agricultural Transformation Institute, P.O.Box 708, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study evaluated the substitution effect of concentrate with Mulato II and Desmodium intortum mixed forages on the intake, digestibility, and growth performance of Farta sheep fed a basal diet of natural pasture hay (NPH) for a period of 90 days. Twenty- five yearling male Farta sheep were blocked based on their initial body weight (18±1.36 kg) (mean±SD) and randomly assigned into the five treatment diets in a completely randomized block design. The five treatment diets were made in such a way that the concentrate mix was progressively replaced by Mulato II and Desmodium intortum mixed forages at a proportion of 0, 20, 40, 60, and 80%. The data on feed intake, digestibility, and body weight change was analyzed using the general linear model procedure of SAS version 9.4. The results showed that total dry matter intake, final body weight, average daily gain, and feed conversion efficiency of sheep were not affected by the substitution of concentrate with Mulato II and Desmodium intortum forages. In conclusion, supplementation of Mulato II and D. intortum forages up to 80% could replace the concentrate in the diet of Farta sheep without any adverse effect on the growth performance.
Keywords: Digestibility, farta sheep, growth performance, improved forages