Growth Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Tigray Highland Lambs Fed Grass Hay and Supplemented with Different Levels of Lablab (Lablab Purpureus) Hay in Northern Ethiopia

Abstract

The study was conducted for ninety days of feeding trial using forty-eight male lambs aged 8-9 months with average body weight of 18.33 ± 0.04 kg with the objectives to evaluate the effect of supplementation of different levels of Lablab purpureus hay on body weight gain and carcass characteristics of Tigray Highland Lambs. The experiment was arranged in four blocks with twelve replicates and four treatments in a randomized complete block design. The treatments were ad libitum feeding of grass hay with no supplement of lablab (T1, control), grass hay supplemented with 1.0 % of BW of lablab (T2), grass hay supplemented with 1.5 % of BW of lablab (T3) and grass hay supplemented with 2.0 % of BW of lablab  (T4) Lablab purpureus hay on dry matter basis. Supplementation increased (P<0.01) total DM intake (gday^-1) with values for T1 (781.6), T2 (843.6), T3 (916.9) and T4 (919.7). Daily weight gain, final BW, slaughter weight, empty BW, hot carcass weight, dressing percent and rib-eye muscle area were higher (P<0.01) in the supplemented treatments. Sheep on the T3 supplementation had significantly (P<0.05) heavier total edible offal, whereas those on grass hay alone (T1) exhibited heavier (P<0.05) total nonedible offal. It was concluded that supplementation of Tigray Highland Lambs with different levels of Lablab purpureus hay promoted BW gain, favors carcass characteristics, dressing percentage and increased the proportion of edible offal. The use of lablab hay in the diets of Tigray Highland Lambs would benefit smallholder farmers to utilize this legume crop and reduce the cost of purchasing expensive commercial and agro-industrial by-products of Crude Protein sources.