Growth Performance, Nutrient Utilization and Carcass Characteristics of Sheep Fed Hydroponic Barley Fodder

A 120 d growth study was conducted in Deccani sheep to evaluate the effect of feeding hydroponically grown barley fodder (HBF) on growth performance, nutrient utilization and carcass characteristics. Eighteen Deccani ram lambs of 3 months age (13.0 +/- 0.42 kg) were divided into three groups of six in each in a completely randomized design. Three iso-nitrogenous rations were formulated, in which the control ration (CON) was prepared by using roughage (chopped sorghum stover) and concentrate at 60:40 ratio; the other two experimental rations were formulated by replacing 50 (L-HBF) and 75 (H-HBF), per cent of CP of concentrate mixture with HBF at low and high levels, respectively. The replacement of concentrate mixture at 50% in L-HBF significantly (P<0.05) improved the ADG compared to other dietary treatments accompanying a higher (P<0.05) DM intake. The cost per kg production was significantly (P<0.05) lowered in the L-HBF group compared to CON. Digestibility of DM, CP and NFE were significantly (P<0.05) improved with replacement of concentrate mixture with HBF in L-HBF group compared to control. The N balance was significantly (P<0.05) higher in the L-HBF lambs which were found to be on a higher plane of nutrition with greater intakes of DCP and TDN. The carcass characteristics did not vary among the three groups. The results indicated that replacement of concentrate mixture with hydroponic barley fodder at 50 per cent level of CP in the ration of growing lambs improved the nutrient utilization, N balance, plane of nutrition and growth performance and reduced the production cost.