Effect of biological and chemical treatments of rice straw on lamb performance

The present study was conducted out at the department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt. The practical work was carried out at sheep farm belongs to Animal Nutrition Research unit, Radiobiology Applications Department, Nuclear Research Center, Atomic energy Authority, Abu Zabeel, Qaluobia Governorate from August to November 2009, to investigate the effect of chemical and biological treatment of rice straw on performance of male lambs, nutrient digestibility and some blood chemical constituents. Twenty-eight Barki male lambs with average initial live body weight (LBW) of 31.75 kg and about five month of age were divided into four similar groups in live body weight and age (eight animals each). The first group (TI) was fed basal diets which composed of concentrate feed mixture (CFM) and untreated rice straw (RS), while the second group (T2) was fed basal diets which composed of concentrate feed mixture (CFM) and berseem hay (BH). The animals of the third and fourth groups (T3 and T4) were fed on the concentrate of first group (T1) plus either chemical treated rice straw (CTR) or biological treated rice straw (BTR), respectively. All digestibility coefficients as percentages of nutrients showed higher (P0.05, 0.01 or 0.001) values with rations contained Berssem hay and chemical and biological treated rice straw as compared with untreated groups. The improvement in CP digestibility coefficients percentages were 46.88, 38.64 and 41.50%, respectively for Berssem hay, chemical or biological treated rice straw when compared with the control group, also the corresponding values of CF percentages were 18.33, 24.46 and 33.02%, respectively. The corresponding values of EE percentages were 8.97, 22.40 and 6.25%, respectively. The improvement in NFE digestibility coefficients percentages were 14.44, 14.30 and 10.14%, respectively for Berssem hay, chemical or biological treated rice straw when compared with the control group. The nutritive value of treated rations as TDN were the highest for lambs group fed diets containing Berssem hay and chemical or biological treated rice straw with 16.17, 15.99 and 14.17%, respectively when compared with the control group. The corresponding values of DCP percentages were 29.22,25.60 and 30.03%, respectively. Final live body weight and gain significantly (P0.0l or 0.001) affected with the treatments. Average daily gain at the whole experimental period of lambs in T2 group, T3 group and T4 recorded higher live body weight with 43.44.,43.44 and 14.75%, respectively higher than the control group (T1) .Also, feed cconversion improved with the feeding treatment. Feed conversion improved with 30.58,29.70 and 12.13% respectively in lamp group T2, T3 and T4, when compared with the control group. Lambs fed diets containing treated rice straw with chemical or biological treatments did not affected feed cost, while lambs fed diets containing berseemhay recorded higher feed cost than the other feed regime. The body gain return of lambs group T2, T3 and T4 increased with 43.44,43.44 and 14.75%, respectively than the control group. Also, the final margin figures were 72.70,87.58 and 28.97%, respectively than the control group. All blood components were at the normal range at the whole experimental period. From the obtained results lambs fed deits containing treated rice straw with chemical or biological treatments recorded higher values of blood total protein, albumin, urea-N and AST. The albumin: globulin ratio increased in both lambs groups fed diets containing chemical treated rice straw and berssem hay than the other experimental groups.