Weight Gain and Carcass Characteristics of Adilo Sheep Fed Urea Treated Wheat Straw Supplemented with Enset (Ensete Ventricosum), Atella and Their Mixtures

Abstract

The experiment was carried using twenty-five male intact yearling Adilo sheep with average body weight of 16.5 ± 3.5 kg to determine the effects of Enset ventricosum, atella and their mixture supplements to urea treated wheat straw (UTWS) on body weight gain (ADG) and carcass parameters. The experiment consisted of ninety days of feeding followed by carcass evaluation. The experimental design was randomized complete block design, and animals were blocked based on their initial body weights. Treatments were UTWS fed ad libitum alone (T₁) or with 300 g/d atella (T₂), 200 atella+100 g/d enset (T₃), 200 enset +100 g/d atella, (T₄) and 300 enset (T5).  Results of laboratory analyses for CP (6.4, 18.2 and 7.6 %) and NDF contents (72, 51 and 62 %) were for UTWS, atella and enset respectively. The result revealed that sheep fed on supplemented feed achieved greater (P<0.05) ADG (-8.9, 47.8, 34.4, 30 and 24.4 (± 3.35) g for T₁, T₂, T₃, T₄ and T₅, respectively). The value of ADG was greater for T₂ among supplemented groups. Hot carcass weight was 5.4, 8.2, 7.2, 6.7 and 6.6 (± 0.25) kg for T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5, respectively and followed similar trend like that of ADG. Results of this study highlighted that supplementation of urea treated wheat straw with enset and atella to have a positive effect on, ADG and carcass parameters. However, the effect is more pronounced for atella than enset or the two mixtures possibly due to the higher CP content of atella.

Keywords: Atella, Carcass, Enset, Sheep