Digestion and body weight change in Tuj lambs receiving oak (Quercushartwissiana) leaves with and without PEG

Quercus hartwissiana (oak) leaves are a potential alternative feed resource in the north-east of Turkey. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effects of two levels (185 and 370 g/day) of dry oak leaves, in the presence (50 or 100 g/kg of dry oak leaves) or absence of polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000), on ruminal fermentation parameters (pH, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N)), microbial nitrogen (N) supply, apparent diet digestibility, N retention, and body weight (BW) change in fat-tailed Tuj lambs (n = 42, initial BW 33.0 ± 0.7 kg). The lambs received at random one of the following diets for 60 days (on a dry matter basis, n = 6 per group): (1) control, no oak leaves and no PEG; (2) 185 g oak leaves; (3) 185 g oak leaves + 10 g PEG; (4) 185 g oak leaves + 20 g PEG; (5) 370 g oak leaves; (6) 370 g oak leaves + 20 g PEG; (7) 370 g oak leaves + 40 g PEG. All groups were given 272 g concentrate and varying amounts of hay (a mixture of chopped grass and alfalfa in the ratio 55:45), such that the amount of hay plus oak leaves was equal to 645 g. Ruminal fermentation parameters did not change with treatment (pH 6.50 ± 0.02, total SCFA = 86.3 ± 2.1 mmol/L, NH3-N = 207 ± 5 mg/L). Total CP digestibility (0.775, 0.714, 0.736, 0.748, 0.663, 0.690, 0.672; S.E.M. = 0.008, P < 0.001, for groups 1-7, respectively) and N retention (7.7, 6.8, 6.7, 7.5, 6.1, 5.8, 5.7 g/day; S.E.M. = 0.19, P < 0.05, for groups 1-7, respectively) were lowest but microbial N supply was highest in 370 g oak leaf group supplemented with PEG (6.51, 7.14, 11.45, 12.23, 9.03, 14.49, 14.39 g/day, S.E.M. = 0.76, P < 0.05, for groups 1-7, respectively). Final BW (32.5 ± 0.3 kg) did not differ among treatments (P > 0.05). These data suggest that: (1) PEG addition seems unnecessary as it did not improve CP digestibility, N retention and BW; and (2) Q. hartwissiana leaves may be used to replace at least half of hay in the ration of Tuj lambs without a negative effect on BW.