Effect of Brewery Malt Screening Inclusion on Growth Performance, Digestibility, and Profitability of Highland Sheep

Abstract

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of brewery malt screening (BMS) inclusion on growth performance and profitability of Tigray highland sheep fed on natural mixed hay as a basal diet. Twenty yearling intact male sheep with an initial body weight of 17.2±1.16 kg (mean ± SD) were allocated to a randomized complete block design with five blocks and four treatments. Treatments consisted ad libitum feeding of natural mixed hay plus concentrate mixture with 0 % BMS (T1), concentrate mixture with 10 % BMS (T2), concentrate mixture with 20 % BMS (T3) and concentrate mixture with 30 % BMS (T4), and all experimental diets were iso-nitrogenous (16.9-17.7 % CP). After 21 days of quarantine and adaptation period, the feeding trial was conducted for 90 days, followed by 10 days of digestibility trial. Natural mixed hay, wheat bran, maize, noug seed cake, cotton seed cake, and brewery malt screening, consisting of 7.43, 15.6, 9.72, 30.79, 29.82, and 21.90 % CP, respectively, were used. Except for CP digestibility, no significant difference (p > 0.05) was observed in total DM, OM, NDF, and ADF intake and digestibility among treatments. Experimental diets with higher ADF content (T3 and T4) tended to have reduced CP digestibility. No difference (p > 0.05) was observed in body weight gain and feed conversion efficiency among treatments. The partial budget analysis showed that diet on T4, which includes 30 % BMS has high marginal rate of return. Inclusion of 30 % brewery malt screening in sheep feeding resulted in better financial benefits without affecting the productive performance of Tigray highland sheep.