Jalel Fikadu Yadeta and Mangistu Urge Leta
This experiment was conducted at Nedjo ATVET College with the objective of evaluating the effects of graded levels of wild silver leaf desmodium (Desmodium uncinatum) on growth and body weight change Horro sheep fed a basal diet of natural pasture hay. Twenty intact male Horro sheep with intact milk teeth and an average initial weight of 18.28±1.47 kg (mean± SD) were used. The experimental sheep were blocked into 5 blocks of 4 animals based on initial body weight and randomly assigned to one of the four treatments within a block. The treatments were natural pasture hay ad libitum (T1) and wild silver leaf desmodium supplement at levels of 200(T2), 300(T3), 400(T4) g/head/d on dry matter bases. The basal diet had DM, CP and OM of 91.2, 75.5 and 9.3, respectively while the corresponding values for Desmodium were 89.8, 77.8 and 16.8. Desmodium supplementation resulted in significantly higher (p<0.01) final body weight and average daily gain (15.6, 38.9, 45.6 and 68.9 g/d in T1, T2, T3 and T4 respectively) (p<0.001) than the sheep in the control treatment. Therefore, supplementation with 400 g/d Desmodium improved body weight of sheep and correspondingly increased the net income from the sale of sheep at the end of the feeding trial. Therefore, in the present study supplementation of wild silver leaf desmodium to natural grass hay at 400 g appears to be the best level for Horro sheep in growth and daily body gain.
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