The effect of barley bran, linseed meal and their mixes supplementation on the performances, carcass characteristics and economic return of Arsi-Bale sheep

The study was conducted using 25 yearling male Arsi-Bale sheep to see the effect of barley bran (BB), linseed meal (LSM) and their mixes supplementation on DMI, apparent nutrient digestibility, body weight (BW) gain, feed conversion efficiency (FCE), carcass characteristics and economic return of Arsi-Bale sheep. A completely randomized block design consisting of five treatments and five blocks was used for the study. The basal diet (faba bean haulms) was offered in average of 50% refusal to ensure ad libitum intake. The supplement feeds were offered in DM basis at 08:00 and 16:00 h by dividing the daily offer into two equal parts. The digestibility and feeding trials were conducted for 7 and 90 days, respectively. At the end of the feeding trial, the sheep were slaughtered for carcass analysis. The CP content of offered faba bean haulms, BB and LSM were 7.7%, 9.7% and 24.8%, respectively. Supplementation improved (P < 0.001) DMI, apparent nutrient digestibility, BW gain, carcass characteristics and economic return. Sheep supplemented with two parts of BB and one part of LSM resulted significantly (P < 0.01) the highest net return. Therefore, sheep fed on a basal diet of faba bean haulms supplemented with two parts of BB and one part of LSM is economical.