Intensive lamb fattening. 3. Continuous feeding of lambs on urea diets from suckling to slaughter or from three months of age to slaughter
1987
Economides, S. (Agricultural Research Inst., Nicosia (Cyprus))
Two trials were carried out to investigate the effect of nitrogen source on the performance of intensively fattened lambs. In the first trial lambs were fed from weaning to 3 months of age a concentrate mixture containing 160g crude protein per kg feed, soybean meal being the protein supplement. From 85 to 140 days of age lambs either consumed the same concentrate mixture or another concentrate mixture in which 50% of soybean meal was replaced by urea and barley grain. During the initial 4-week period (84 to 112 days) the performance of lambs on the soybean meal diet was better than on the urea diet, but during the final period (112-140 days) the performance of lambs on both diets was similar. Nitrogen source had no effect on the carcass weight and dressing percentage. In the second trial lambs were offered diets containing 160g crude protein per kg feed with soybean meal or urea as nitrogen source from the initiation of partial suckling (at 28 days) to 127 days of age. Although lambs on the soybean meal diet grew significantly faster than urea-fed lambs, growth rate and feed efficiency were high with all lambs. Feeding cost per unit liveweight gain was lower with the urea diets
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