Fattening of Improved Jezersko-Solčava weaned lambs with different diets

Abstract

The study was performed in a stable of Educational and Research Animal Husbandry Centre in Logatec. Thirty-five weaned Improved Jezersko-Solčava lambs, 16 females and 19 males, were included in the experiment. At the beginning of the study, lambs were on average 129 days (4.3 months) old and weighted on average 25.6 kg. Lambs were divided into four dietary groups by eight to nine lambs per group. Group I was fed with hay I and second harvest in the ratio 40:60 and 650 g of concentrate per lamb. Group II was fed with hay I and second harvest in the ratio 40:60, without concentrate. Group III was fed with hay II and supplemented with 650 g of concentrate per lamb, and group IV was fed only with hay II. Mineral-vitamin mixture and water were available to lambs ad libitum. The experiment lasted 40 days. Lambs were weighted every 10 days. Hay, second harvest, and concentrate offered to lambs were weighted every day. Data were analysed using SAS software. The statistical model included group (diet), sex, and birth weight. The average daily gains were: 196 g for Group I, 130 g for Group II, 169 g for Group 3, and 50 g for Group 4. The difference in the average daily gain among four groups of the lambs was statistically significant (P<0.001). We can conclude that diet influenced the average daily gain of the weaned lambs.