Growth Performance and Carcass Traits of Begait Lambs Fed Diets of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) Hay, Wheat Bran and their Mixtures

Abstract

The study was conducted at Humera agricultural research centre farm, northern Ethiopia aimed to evaluate the effects of supplementation of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) hay (CPH), wheat bran (WB) and their mixtures on feed intake, average daily gain (ADG)  and carcass characteristics of Begait lambs fed grass hay (GH) as a basal diet. The experimental lambs were divided into five groups based on initial body weight and randomly assigned to the five treatments. Treatments were ad libitum feeding of GH and supplemented with 300 g CPH, 225 g CPH + 75 g WB, 150 g CPH + 150 g WB, 75 g CPH + 225 g WB and 300 g WB DM/day for T1, T2, T3, T4  and  T5, respectively. Total DM intake was 687.1, 669.4, 719.4, 631.0 and 673.47 gd-1 for T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5, respectively and significantly higher (p<0.001) and lower (p< 0.001) for T3 and T4, respectively and intermediate for others. The ADG was 36.4, 43.6, 52.9, 43.1 and 42.4 gd-1 for lambs in T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5, respectively was higher (p<0.001) for T3. Consequently, the value for hot carcass weight (kg) was significantly higher for T3 (12.92) than T2 (12.61), T1 (11.92), T4 (11.96) and T5 (12.42). Therefore, from the findings of this study, it can be suggested that feeding mixture of 150 g of cowpea hay and 150 g of wheat bran improved sheep performance.