Effect Of Biological Treatments Of Some Agricultural By-Products On Ration Digestibility And Lamb Performance

Abstract

This study was carried out in the Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain- Shams University and the Sakha Experimental Station, Animal Production Research Institute. Thirty cross bred (Finnish x Rahmani) ram-lambs of about 22 Kg were divided into six groups. Six rations were formed as wheat straw (a control ration) R1, wheat straw treated with 1 litter ZAD straw treated with 2 litters ZAD (R3), bean straw as a control ration (R4), bean straw treated With I litter ZAD (RS) and bean straw treated with 2 litters ZAD (R6). The period of the study was 1 80 days. The objective of this study was to detect the effect of the enzymatic treatment of wheat and bean straws with one and two liters of ZAD compound the digestibility coefficients, feeding values, fiber fraction and growth performance of ram-lambs. It was found that ration contained wheat straw treated with 2 liters of ZAD (R3) compound had significantly (P<0.05) the highest digestibility coefficients of dry matter (DM), organic matter (0M), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), nitrogen free extract (NFE). It had also the best (P<0.05) feeding values including total digestive nutrients (TDN) and digestive crude protein (DCP) and the best (P<0.05) fiber fractions, This ration had also the best growth performance, followed by the ration contained bean straw treated with 2 liters of ZAD (R6), then rations contained wheat or bean straw treated with only one liter of ZAD compound (R2 and R5) and control rations (R1 and R4). It seems that R3 was the best ration for rumen metabolism.

Key words: Digestibility, Fiber Fractions, Rumen Metabolism, Ram-lambs, Straw, ZAD Compound, Growth Performance