China Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Medicine ›› 2011, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (11): 8-13.

• 动物营养与饲料科学 • Previous Articles     Next Articles

The Effects of Prophase Nutrition Level on the Performance of Lambs in a Two Phase Finishing Scheme

ZHANG Chong-zhi1, GAO Ai-wu2, YANG Jin-li1, HOU Xian-zhi1, KAO Gui-lan3, LIU Xiao-gang1, LI Dong3, HUANG Ya-juan2   

  1. 1. College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China;2. College of Food Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China;3. College of Veterinary Medicine ,Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
  • Received:2011-04-06 Revised:1900-01-01 Online:2011-11-20 Published:2011-11-20

Abstract: This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of prophase nutrition level on the performance of lambs in a two phase finishing scheme. Eighty Mongolian lambs(castrated lambs) were randomly divided into four equal groups:control group (CG) = fed ad libitum (ME:10.88 MJ/kg, CP:15%); moderate restricted groups (RG1 and RG2) = fed restricted (ME:10.88 MJ/kg, CP:10% and ME:9.41 MJ/kg, CP:10% respectively); severe restricted group (RG3) = fed restricted (ME:8.62 MJ/kg, CP:5.7%). The lambs were fed restricted diets for 60 days and followed by compensatory growth with the same diet (ME:9.75 MJ/kg, CP:12%) for each group. The changes of body weight,growth rate,dressing percentage, net percentage of carcass, meat-bone ratio, meat percentage of carcass,eye muscle area and GR value were measured during feed restricted and compensatory periods. The results showed that the BW of CG were significantly higher than those of RG1 and RG2(P＜0.05),and significantly higher than those of RG3(P＜0.01)by the end of feed restricted period.The dressing percentage,net percentage of carcass,meat-bone ratio,meat percentage of carcass,eye muscle area and GR value of CG were higher than those of RG1,RG2 and RG3 because of the feed restriction. The growth rate of RG3 were significantly higher than those of CG(P＜0.05)and the BW,dressing percentage,net percentage of carcass,meat-bone ratio,meat percentage of carcass of RG1,RG2 and RG3 gradually approuched to CG and the eye muscle area and GR value of four groups had no significant difference(P＞0.05)by the end of the feed compensation. The results indicated that the Mongolian lambs expressed different compensatory potency after nutrient restriction with defferent levels of energy and protein, suggesting that protein restriction had more negative effects than energy restriction in lambs. The lamb's growth were more affected by protein during feed restricted period, whereas the supplement of enegy was more important for lamb's growth during feed compensatory period.

Key words: nutrition level; compensatory growth; lambs; body weight; meat-production

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