Olive Cake and Fibrolytic Enzymes Inclusion in Ewes’ Diets and its Effect on Blood Values and Reproductive Performance

Abstract

Enhancing the productive performance of ruminant by improving nutrients metabolism get much attention.The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of feeding olive cake either treated or untreated with fibrolytic enzymes on the reproductive performance and some blood parameters in ewes. Forty-eight multiparous lactating Barki ewes at second to third season of lactation (42±3 kg of live body weight) were equally and randomly allotted to four dietary groups. Control group (G1) was fed on 60 % concentrate feed mixture (CFM), 40 % green maize, first group (G2) as control with replacing 30% of CFM with olive cake, second group (G3) as control with replacing 30% of CFM with olive cake silage and third groups (G4) as control with replacing 30% of CFM with olive cake silage treated with fibrolytic enzyme. The results indicated no significant change were noted between control and other groups in blood serum total protein, Albumin, Tri-glycerides, glucose, ALT and urea. G1 significantly increased (p<0.05) T3 as compared with G1, while G4 recorded the highest value for progesterone as compared with other treatments. Amongst the four groups, G2, G3, G4 improved lambing rate, prolificacy rate, fertility%, female ratio, litter weight as compared with G1, while, the highest stillbirth being in G1. It could be concluded that inclusion of olive cake silage either treated or untreated with fibrolytic enzyme could improve the reproductive performance of ewes.