Muhannad Muna* ⁽¹⁾, Faisal Maya⁽²⁾, Osman Kaheel⁽³⁾

(1). General Commission of Scientific Agricultural  Research – Lattakia research center, Syria.

(2).Animal Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Damascus University, Syria.

(3). General Commission of Scientific Agricultural  Research, Animal Production,  Damascus, Syria.

 (*Corrsponding author: Muhannad Muna. E-Mail:muhannadmuna@yahoo.com).

Received: 04/02/2020                               Accepted: 23/03/2019

Abstract

This study was carried out at Sheep Section of Shami Camel Research Station, Damascus, Syria in 2012. Thirty Awassi lambs homogenous in terms of age (142.7±10.69 day) and weight (28.3±1.67 kg) were selected to determine the effect of adding probiotic (EMOTIC) on some productive parameters. The lambs were randomly divided into five groups. All housing and management conditions were similar for all animals throughout experiment period (91 days). The first group T (control), first experimental group T₁ and second experimental T₂ were fed on basic ration (85.8% concentrate and 14.2% wheat straw on dry matter (DM) basis), while T₃ and T₄ were fed with another rate (79% concentrate and 21% wheat straw on DM basis). All experimental groups were supplemented with probiotic at levels of 2g/head/day for T₁ and T₃, and 3g/head/day for T₂ and T₄. The results showed that the total weight gain TWG of lambs of T₁, T₂, T₃ and T₄ were (23.17±0.78, 23.58±0.84, 21.52±0.34 and 22.4±0.67) respectively. The TWG values were significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) than that of T (17.87±1.06 ). No significant differences in dry matter intake. The feed conversion ratio FCR was the lowest in T₂ (5.33±0.43) and it was lower (P ≤ 0.05) in all experimental groups in comparison with T. The cost of feed for each kg body weight gain values were lower in the fourth experimental groups by 17.5, 16.21, 11.8 and 12.41% respectively vs T. The gain of each sold lamb was .high in all experimental groups vs control, and it was the highest in T₂ (1948 SP) which, was higher than T by 87.74%. It could be concluded that using Emotic as probiotic at level of 3 g/head/day had high body gain and low feed conversion, in addition to better economic efficiency, while the level 2 g/head/day had the lowest feeding cost.

Keyword: Awassi lamb, Probiotic, Feed conversion, Total weight gain,
 Economic efficiency.

Full paper in Arabic: PDF