UTILIZATION OF FEEDING REGIME AND COWS’ BUTTERMILK TO IMPROVE GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND CARCASS YIELD OF KARADI MALE LAMBS

Feeding regime and buttermilk treatment influence on growth performance and carcass yield of Karadi male lambs as well as the economic return were investigated in this work. A total of 24 Karadi male lambs of 5 months old (29.58±0.4 kg) were assigned to 2 groups of feeding regimes (concentrate pelleted diet vs. whole barley grain). Lambs in each group were randomly allotted into three sub-groups for the buttermilk treatments each with 4 lambs, control: without buttermilk, T1: 1% buttermilk and T2: 2% buttermilk of lamb body weights. Three lambs of each sub-groups (18 lambs) were slaughtered at 43 kg as a final weight. Results revealed that average daily intake (ADI), total feed intake (TFI), average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR), lean: fat and lean: bone ratio as well as gain profit and total profit for lambs fed concentrate pellet with buttermilk were significantly (P≤0.05) higher than those of lambs fed barley without buttermilk. Feeding concentrate diet significantly (P≤0.05) increased dressing percentage based on empty body weight (EBW) compared to barley grain. Moreover, feeding concentrate pellet with buttermilk significantly (P≤0.05) decreased growth period, fat thickness, total cost and gain cost compared to those of lambs fed barley without buttermilk. Results showed a high interaction between feeding regimes and buttermilk treatments on the growth performance, carcass physical dissection and economic return. This may indicate that lambs with different level of buttermilk responded differently to type of feeding. It is concluded that growth performance, lean: fat and lean: bone ratio as well as total profit for lambs fed concentrate pellet with buttermilk were significantly higher than those of lambs fed barley without buttermilk.