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Feed Consumption, Rate of Gain and Ration Digestibility of Caged versus Penned Lambs¹

Research Branch, Canada Department of Agriculture, Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada

Abstract

The performance of lambs confined in individual cages in a metabolism unit was compared with that of lambs confined in a pen and individually fed for a period of 81 days.

Lambs confined in cages consumed approximately the same amount of dry matter daily and per unit of metabolic weight, and gained at approximately the same rate as those confined in pens, when fed all-roughage rations of slough hay or alfalfa and finishing rations of 1/3 hay and 2/3 barley.

Digestibility of crude protein in alfalfa and the finishing rations, and of dry matter and gross energy in all rations, was very similar with caged and penned lambs. Digestibility of crude protein in slough hay was lower when fed to penned lambs than when fed to caged lambs.

The feeding value of slough hay was much lower than that of alfalfa. Lambs fed slough hay consumed 55% as much dry matter daily and gained 20% as much weight per day as those fed alfalfa. The Nutritive Value Index of slough hay was 32, compared with 57 for alfalfa.

¹ Contribution from the Animal Science Section, Research Branch, Canada Department of Agriculture, Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada.

² Present address: Faculty of Agriculture, University of the West Indies, Trinidad.