Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 September 2010
The effects of three diets on the performance and carcass quality of lambs of the Makui and Moghani breeds of sheep were studied. Thirty-two Makui and 33 Moghani lambs, 6 to 7 mo of age, were kept on feedlots and given three diets for 77 days. The diets each contained a barley, alfalfa meal and corn silage base plus different levels of urea, molasses and dried beet pulp.
The average daily live-weight gains (ADG) of lambs fed on diets I (no urea), II (0·8% urea) and III (1·4% urea) were 218, 208 and 204 g respectively, while feed conversion ratios (FCR) were 6·3, 6·6 and 6·8 respectively. The overall ADG for Makui and Moghani lambs were 213·6 and 206·6 g respectively and the FCR were 6·4 and 6·9 respectively. None of these differences was statistically significant. The mean dressing percentages of lambs fed on diets I, II and III were 52·5, 52·7 and 53·9 respectively, and those of Makui (53·1) and Moghani lambs (53·3) were similar. There were only minor differences between the carcass characteristics of the two breeds and these were not influenced by the different diets.