Abstract

Feed intake and digestibility experiment were conducted using twenty yearling male Horro sheep weighing 20.42 ± 0.35 kg (mean ± SD). The objectives of the study were to evaluate the response of Horro sheep to feed intake and apparent digestibility when supplemented with different level of noug seed meal and wheat bran mix (1:1) on DM basis. For this study, randomized complete block design was employed. Experimental sheep were blocked into four blocks of five animals based on their initial body weight (BW) and randomly assigned to the four treatment diets within a block. The treatments allocated were sole UTMH (T1, control), UMH + 200 g concentrate mix (CM) (T2), UMH + 300 g CM (T3) and UMH + 400 g CM (T4) on DM basis per head/day for 90 days. Total DM intake over the experimental period was higher (P<0.001) for the supplemented groups as compared to the control group. The DM intake of control group showed a decreasing trend during the first 50 days of the experiment which later showed an increasing trend that brought the sheep to maintain their body weight. Digestible nutrient intake and apparent digestibility of nutrients were higher (P<0.001) for supplemented sheep than control group. It was concluded that supplementation with nougseed meal and wheat bran mix promoted feed intake and apparent digestibility of DM and CP in Horro sheep fed cured maize husk.

Key words: Apparent digestibility, concentrate mix, feed intake, Horro sheep, maize husk.