Resumen

ORTIZ, A; ELIAS, A  y  VALDIVIE, M. Evaluation of chicken dung on coffee shells as feeding supplement in the fattening of grazing sheep. Pastos y Forrajes [online]. 2007, vol.30, n.2, pp.1-1. ISSN 0864-0394.

A total of 27 Pelibuey non-castrated male lambs, in the growing-fattening stage, with an initial average weight of 19,9 kg, were used with the objective of studying three inclusion levels of chicken litter of coffee shells in the diet:T1) 0 g/kg LW; T2) 12 g/kg LW and T3) 20 g/kg LW. The animals remained grazing 6,5 hours each day and at the end of it they were offered the supplement of chicken dung plus 6 g of final molasses/kg LW. Ninety days after the beginning of the test the final live weight (T1: 27,0; T2; 29,0 and T3: 30,8 kg) had increased significantly (P<0,01) as the rate of chicken dung increased; the same happened with the mean daily gain (77, 103 and 118 g/lamb/day), which differed for P<0,001. In the animals that did not consume chicken dung the weight of the carcass (12,7; 13,9 and 14,6 kg), the heart (106, 134 and 138 g) and the kidneys (79, 106 and 110 g) was significantly lower (P<0,05) as compared to treatments 2 and 3, and between these two there were no significant differences. The weight of the liver (537, 555 and 562 g) and the empty stomach (897, 948 and 966 g) did not show significant differences according to the supplemented rate of chicken dung. It is concluded that the supply of chicken dung on coffee shells improved significantly the productive indicators of the animals, without compromising their health or the chemical composition and acceptability of the meat, for which the use of chicken dung on coffee shells is recommended as supplement in the diet of grazing growing-fattening sheep.

Palabras clave : Sheep; grazing; supplements.

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