Effects of replacement of cafeteria leftover by concentrate mixture on biological performance and economic return of Washera lambs fed desho grass hay as basal diet

Abstract

The study was conducted to evaluate the inclusion of cafeteria leftover (CL) on biological performance and economic return of Washera lambs fed desho grass and supplemented with concentrate mix (CM) in Ethiopia. Microbiological analyzes were performed in order to assess the feed safety of CL using standard microbiological guidelines. Twenty-five male Washera lambs with a mean body weight of 21.9±1.01 kg (mean ± SD) were used in randomized complete block design consisted of five replications. The dietary treatments included: 0% CL+100% CM (T1), 25% CL+75% CM (T2), 50% CL+50% CM (T3), 75% CL+25% CM (T4) and 100% CL+0% CM (T5). The data collected includes, chemical composition of diets, nutrient intake, nutrient digestibility, carcass yield and quality. The microbiological quality assessment of the CL indicated that it conformed to satisfactory limits of feed safety and therefore it fit for animal feeding.  Sheep under T2 had higher (p<0.001) total dry matter intake (DMI) and organic matter intake (OMI) whereas as compared to other treatment groups, sheep under T1 and T5 had lower (p<.001) total DMI and OMI, respectively. The DM digestibility coefficient was higher (p<0.01) for sheep fed with mixed supplement diet (T2 to T4). The protein digestibility coefficient was higher (p<0.01) for the mixed supplement and lower for solely dried students’ cafeteria leftover (CL). Average daily gain showed higher (p<0.01) for T1 but similar values for treatments (T2 to T4) compared to (T1 and T5). The average empty body weight (EBW) and hot carcass weight (HCW) showed higher (p<0.01) for the dietary treatments (T2 to T4). According to the partial budget analysis, T4 was the most profitable diet, followed by T3, T2, T1, and T5. Based on this, it is possible to conclude that CL could be included in Washera lambs CM rations at a level of 75% without any adverse effect on the performance and carcass characteristics of sheep. Drying and processing of the entire student cafeteria leftover imposed due to sun drying of laxative food leftover such as pasta. As food leftover contains more moisture and is easily spoiled, guidelines for collecting, transporting, drying, and storing raw materials should be developed to ensure the safety of food leftover for animal feed. Thus, further research is required to investigate technological options for properly drying laxative food leftovers such as pasta so that such food leftovers can be used for ruminant animal feed.