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Use of choice-feeding methodology to determine the optimum dietary protein concentration for intensively-reared lambs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 November 2021

J.R. Newbold ,
H.W. Morris  and
N.G. Haggis
J.R. Newbold
Affiliation:
BOCM PAULS LTD, 47 Key Street, Ipswich, IP4 1BX, United Kingdom
H.W. Morris
Affiliation:
BOCM PAULS LTD, 47 Key Street, Ipswich, IP4 1BX, United Kingdom
N.G. Haggis
Affiliation:
BOCM PAULS LTD, 47 Key Street, Ipswich, IP4 1BX, United Kingdom
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Extract

Feeding lambs a single ration, with a fixed protein:energy ratio, from weaning until slaughter will incur inefficiencies of protein utilisation if protein requirements (relative to energy requirements) vary with stage of growth. Kyriazakis and Oldham (1992) have demonstrated the ability of sheep to select systematically between diets of low and high protein content. The objective of this experiment was to use a choice-feeding methodology to identify optimum dietary protein concentrations at different stages of lamb growth.

Eighty Suffolk cross-bred lambs were weaned at 6 weeks of age, blocked by sex and then live weight and allocated at random (within block) amongst 16 pens. Pens were allocated at random to one of two dietary regimens: SINGLE (concentrate containing 200g CP/kg as-fed) or CHOICE (free choice between concentrates containing 170 or 230g CP/kg as-fed).

Type
Sheep Nutrition
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science , Volume 1996 , March 1996 , pp. 168
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 1996

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References

Blake, J.S., Haggis, N.G. and Kenyon, P.J. (1992). Response of fast growing lambs to compound protein level Animal Production: 52: 584A Google Scholar
Kyriazakis, I and Oldham, JD (1992). The ability of growing sheep to select a diet that meets their protein requirements. Animal Production 54: 455A Google Scholar