Authors : Ignacio Mejia Haro, Salvador A. Guadalajara Rodriguez, Benjamin Ortiz de la Rosa, Jose Manuel Martinez Mireles, Victor M. Marin Perales, Mauricio Ramos Davila and Evaristo Carrillo
Abstract: The objective of the study was to determine the productive performance, daily weight gain (ADG), daily Feed Intake (FI) Feed Conversion (FC) and Total Weight Gain (TWG) of growing lambs. Eighteen crossed dorper-pelibuey and katahdin female lambs with an initial mean live weight of 17.6±1.8 kg were used and fed diets using different levels of Prickly Pear Forage (PPF). Treatments were: T0) A mixed diet+0% PPF; T1) T0 +15% of PPF, on dry basis and T2) T0+30% of PPF. The lambs were housed in individual pens where they were provided of feed and water for free access, giving the mixed diet separately from the chopped fresh PPF. The lambs were 69 days in an experimental period and were distributed in a completely random design with three treatments. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance and multiple comparison tests of means by tukey. The final live weight was obtained and no significant differences were observed (p>0.05) among treatments, T0: 30.5; T1: 29.0; T2: 28.7 kg; the same happened for ADG, TWG and FC but FI, (p<0.05) decreased as the PPF increased (T0: 1198, T1: 1050, T2: 951 g). No differences were observed in acetic, propionic, butyric acid and N-NH3 in ruminal fluid. It is concluded that as the percentage of PPF in diet increased, the feed intake decreased which led to the reduction of ADG in lambs, without differences in FC, VFA and N-NH3 in ruminal fluid.
Ignacio Mejia Haro, Salvador A. Guadalajara Rodriguez, Benjamin Ortiz de la Rosa, Jose Manuel Martinez Mireles, Victor M. Marin Perales, Mauricio Ramos Davila and Evaristo Carrillo, 2019. Determination of the Nutritional Quality of Prickly Pear Forage (Opuntia ficus-indica) in the Diet of Ewe Lambs. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 18: 119-123.