Performance and carcass characteristics of lambs fed diets with increasing levels of Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) hay replacing Buffel grass hay

• Published in: Tropical animal health and production Vol. 49; no. 5; pp. 1001 - 1007
• Main Authors: Bandeira, Paulo André Vidal, Filho, José Morais Pereira, de Azevêdo Silva, Aderbal Marcos, Cezar, Marcílio Fontes, Bakke, Olaf Andreas, Silva, Uilma Laurentino, Borburema, Jucileide Barbosa, Bezerra, Leilson Rocha
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01-06-2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal Feed - analysis; Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena - drug effects; Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Body weight; Body weight gain; Body weight loss; Carbohydrates; Cattle; Cenchrus - chemistry; Cooling; Diet; Diet - veterinary; Dietary Fiber - analysis; Dry matter; Feed conversion; Feed efficiency; Grasses; Hay; Hogs; Lamb; Life Sciences; Male; Meat - analysis; Mimosa - chemistry; Nutrients; Physical growth; Random Allocation; Regular Articles; Sheep, Domestic - growth & development; Sheep, Domestic - physiology; Slaughter; Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science; Weight Gain - drug effects; Weight loss; Zoology; Carcass yield; Legumes; Tannin; Feed efficiency; Cenchrus ciliaris
• DOI: 10.1007/s11250-017-1291-y
• EISSN: 1573-7438
• ISSN: 0049-4747

This study evaluated the performance and carcass characteristics of lambs fed diets with increasing levels of
Mimosa tenuiflora
(Willd.) hay replacing Buffel grass (
Cenchrus ciliaris
). Twenty-eight Santa Inês male lambs with an average body weight (BW) of 20.3 ± 1.49 kg(mean ± SD) were allocated in individual stalls and distributed in a completely random design with four treatments (0, 20, 40, and 60 g/100 g total DM
M
.
tenuiflora
hay replacing Buffel grass hay in diet) with seven replications.
M
.
tenuiflora
hay at the level of 20% dry matter (DM) total replacing Buffel grass hay increased final weight (
P
 = 0.006), total weight gain (
P
 < 0.001), average daily weight gain (ADWG;
P
 < 0.001), DM intake (
P
 < 0.001), and feed efficiency (
P
 < 0.001). Intake of crude protein, NDF
ap
, ADF
ap
, ash, ether extract, total and non-fibrous carbohydrates, and total digestible nutrients presented a positive quadratic effect with
M
.
tenuiflora
hay replacing Buffel grass hay and 40 g/100 g total DM level presented greater intake. There were positive quadratic effects by
M
.
tenuiflora
hay inclusion at 20 g/100 g total DM level on slaughtering weight (
P
 = 0.005), hot carcass weight (
P
 = 0.002), cold carcass weight (
P
 = 0.002), empty body weight (
P
 = 0.001), hot carcass yield (
P
 = 0.002), cold carcass yield (
P
 = 0.003), and increase linear on biological yield (
P
 = 0.003). There was no influence on cooling weight loss (
P
 = 0.284).
M
.
tenuiflora
hay may be included in lamb diets at amounts up to 20 g/100 g total DM substitution of Buffel grass hay because increase in the nutrients intake, growth performance, and carcass characteristics.