Performance, feeding behavior and digestibility of nutrients in lambs with divergent efficiency traits

• Published in: Small ruminant research 2019-11, Vol.180, p.50-56
• Main Authors: Lima Montelli, Natália Ludmila Lins, Almeida, Amélia Katiane de, Ribeiro, Carolina Resende de Freitas, Grobe, Morgana Dayane, Abrantes, Melina Aparecida Felipe, Lemos, Guilherme Silva, Furusho Garcia, Iraides Ferreira, Pereira, Idalmo Garcia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Feed; Nutrients; Rumination
• ISSN: 0921-4488; 1879-0941
• DOI: 10.1016/j.smallrumres.2019.07.016

•Efficient lambs (i.e., low-RFI and high-RIG) spent less time ruminating.•Efficient animals spent more time feeding, and had lower DMI, thus they ate slowly.•Dry matter digestibility was similar between divergent lambs for RFI and RIG.•Efficient lambs according to RIG trait perform better. The aim was to evaluate the performance, feeding behavior and nutrient digestibility of lambs ranked according to residual feed intake (RFI) and residual intake and gain (RIG). A total of 102 male lambs (½ Dorper ½ Santa Inês; 70 d; 24.6 ± 3.71 kg) were used. The mean values of the RFI classes were -0.101, 0.0, and 0.091, and those of the RIG classes were 1.980, -0.032 and -2.369, for efficient, medium and inefficient lambs, respectively. Average daily gain was not correlated to RFI, but was correlated to RIG. Physiological parameters (i.e., respiratory frequency and heart rate), ruminal movement and rectal temperature were similar between efficient and inefficient lambs (i.e., for RFI and RIG; P > 0.05). Efficient RFI and RIG lambs spent less time ruminating and drinking water and more time eating (P