Replacing Cottonseed Meal and Sorghum Grain with Corn Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles in Lamb Feedlot Diets: Growth Performance, Rumen Fluid Parameters, and Blood Serum Chemistry1
Effects of replacing cottonseed meal (CSM) and sorghum grain with dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) in Dorper ram lamb (n 46) feedlot diets on growth performance, rumen fluid parameters, and blood serum chemistry were evaluated. In a 56 d randomized design study, lambs were provided ad libitum 70.9% concentrate diets in individual pens. The positive control diet (CNTL; representative of a traditional feedlot diet) contained CSM, sorghum grain, and other concentrates, but no DDGS. Four treatment diets were similar to CNTL but did not contain CSM: corn DDGS replaced 0% (0DDGS) 33% (33DDGS) 66% (66DDGS) or 100% (100DDGS) of the sorghum grain. Lambs fed CNTL were compared to 0DDGS and linear and quadratic effects were evaluated within the four DDGS diets. A treatment x day interaction was observed (P 0.001) for lamb BW but not for ADG, DMI, or G:F (P 0.78) Lambs fed CNTL had greater (P 0.02) BW on d 42 and 56 and greater (P 0.008) overall ADG and G:F than lambs fed 0DDGS. On d 42 and 56, lamb BW quadratically increased (P 0.04) as DDGS increased in the diet. Averaged across all days, ADG quadratically increased (P 0.001) and DMI and G:F tended to quadratically increase (P 0.08) as DDGS increased in the diet. On d 56, ruminal pH quadratically decreased (P 0.001) ruminal ammonia N quadratically increased (P 0.001) acetate linearly increased (P 0.001) and acetate:propionate tended to linearly increase (P 0.08) as DDGS increased in the diet. Various blood serum profiles were affected by diet, but data suggested that diet did not negatively affect lamb health. Results indicated that lamb growth performance is enhanced when CSM is used to increase dietary CP (CNTL vs. 0DDGS) and that, within the diets that did not contain CSM, the 66DDGS diet resulted in the greatest growth performance. (c)2020, Sheep Goat Research Journal Sheep Goat Research Journal, Volume 35, 2030 April 1 Volume 35, 2020 April Replacing Cottonseed Meal and Sorghum Grain with Corn Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles in Lamb Feedlot Diets: Growth Performance, Rumen Fluid Parameters, and Blood Serum Chemistry1 K. M. Hodges2, T. R. Whitney3,4 W. S. Ramsey2, and C. R. Kerth2 1 This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Project #205866. 2 Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843 3 Texas A&M AgriLife Research, 7887 U.S. Hwy 87 N, San Angelo 76901 4 Corresponding author: trwhitney@ag.tamu.edu