Using mixed silages of sweet sorghum and alfalfa in total mixed rations to improve growth performance, nutrient digestibility, carcass traits and meat quality of sheep

Combining sweet sorghum (SS) with alfalfa for ensiling has the potential to make a high-quality silage with relatively a better nutrient balance. However, the existing data are insufficient about how changes in ratios of SS to alfalfa in different silage mixtures affect animal performance and meat q...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animal (Cambridge, England) England), 2021-07, Vol.15 (7), p.100246-100246, Article 100246
Main Authors: Wang, J., Yang, B.Y., Zhang, S.J., Amar, A., Chaudhry, A.S., Cheng, L., Abbasi, I.H.R., Al-Mamun, M., Guo, X.F., Shan, A.S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Feed - analysis
Animals
Diet - veterinary
Digestion
Karakul sheep
Lucerne
Male
Meat
Medicago sativa
Nutrient digestibility
Nutrients
Production performance
Rumen
Sheep
Sheep, Domestic
Silage - analysis
Silage mixture
Sorghum
Zea mays
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Summary:Combining sweet sorghum (SS) with alfalfa for ensiling has the potential to make a high-quality silage with relatively a better nutrient balance. However, the existing data are insufficient about how changes in ratios of SS to alfalfa in different silage mixtures affect animal performance and meat quality. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of feeding total mixed rations containing mixed silages of SS and alfalfa on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, carcass traits and meat quality of Karakul sheep. Five total mixed rations were formulated with different SS proportions at 100%, 80%, 60%, 40%, and 20% on a fresh weight basis. Thirty 4-month old male Karakul sheep with 25.5 ± 1.4 kg BW were randomly allocated into five treatment groups, each with six lambs for this experiment. The results indicated that the Karakul sheep consuming total mixed rations containing SS-Alfalfa (SS-AF) silage mixtures with a lower proportion of SS tended to increase nutrient digestibility, growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality. Feeding diets with SS at 40% and 20% inclusion rate showed a significant linear increase in the apparent digestibility of DM, CP and NDF, as well as subcutaneous fat thickness and water holding capacity (P 
ISSN:1751-7311
1751-732X
DOI:10.1016/j.animal.2021.100246