An-Najah Staff

This research was conducted to investigate the performance of Awassi lambs in the two fattening systems in Palestine. Both systems are based in specific locations in the country with variable outcomes. A total of sixty Awassi lambs were used in the experiment. Lambs were divided into two groups of thirty lambs in each. Lambs in the first group were fed a concentrate ration similar to those fed in commercial fattening operations. Lambs in the second group were fed a barley-based diet (70% barley plus 30% legume roughage). Lambs were fed their rations for 70 days. Lambs were weighed at weekly basis. At day 42 of beginning of the feeding trial, a digestibility trial was conducted on eight of each group. A six days total collection of feed, feces and urine was performed. The performance of lambs fed the commercial fattening rations was much belter than lambs fed the barley based rations. This was observed from the performance parameters such as the total gain, average daily gain (278 vs. 146 g) and the feed conversion efficiencies. Lambs fed the commercial fattening rations had average feed efficiency of 5.5 kg while that of lambs the barley based rations was 8.8 kg. The cost of gain was significantly (P<0.05) higher in lambs fed the barley-based diets. The digestion trials showed that the dry matter and nutrients digestibility were higher for the commercial fattening rations compared to barley based rations.

A feeding trial was conducted for fattening Awassi male lambs using olive take to study the nutritional effect of this by-product and to search for low cost rations. Fifty male lambs were assigned to five dietary treatments. The control diet was composed of 77 % barley (whole grain), 12 % wheat bran, 9 % soybean meal, 0.5 % dicalcium phosphate, 0.5 % sodium chloride, 0.1 % mineral and vitamin premix and 0.9 % sand. To each ration of the other four treatments, olive cake was incorporated instead of barley at a level of 10 %, 120 %, 30 % and 40 % respectively. Urea was added at the rate of 1 % in these four treatments instead of a part of the soybean meal. The lamb feeding trial extended for a period of 63 days. Average initial live weights were 30.9, 33.0, 29.7, 30.5 and 32.8 kg for each of the five groups, respectively. Means of the daily gains were 246, 206, 198, 143 and 143 g per day for each of the five groups respectively with the fourth and the fifth groups being significatively different from the three others. Average feed conversion rates were 5.93, 6.35, 6.70, 9.38 and 9.31 kg feed per kg day gain and the feeds costs per kg gain were 3.10, 3.15, 3.12, 4.18 and 3.89 NIS (New Israeli Sheqel) for each of the five treatments, respectively. The result of the experiment indicated that the different olive cake levels had no effect on the distribution of lean, fat or bone weights among the wholesale cuts. This experiment shows that, under current feed prices in the West Bank, replacing up to 20 % of barley with olive cakes proves to be beneficial and economically feasible.