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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 November 2017
Early finished lambs are able to command a higher premium at slaughter. Improvement in growth rate can increase the profitability of the enterprise. The use of yeast cell wall preparations, in particular the mannan oligosaccharide portion, has been shown to improve intestinal tract health and thus growth rates in other species (Uni & Smirnov, 2006; Rosen, 2006). Farm studies have suggested that the inclusion of mannan oligosaccharides have the greatest effect in young animals prior to weaning. The aim of the current study was to determine the effect of feeding a mannan oligosaccharide on the growth rates of early finished lambs reared indoors on a commercial farm from birth until weaning.