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Apple Pomace and Urea for Gestating Ewes

US Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705

Abstract

Use of apple pomace (AP) supplemented with soybean meal (SBM) or a cornmeal-urea mixture (CU) for gestating ewes was studied in five trials with a total of 404 gestating ewes. Trial 1 (42 ewes) compared wet AP supplemented with SBM or CU. Ewe weight gain and lambing performance were poorer for ewes fed AP-CU than for ewes fed AP-SBM, and intakes of both diets were low. Trial 2 (40 ewes) compared dehydrated AP supplemented with SBM or CU fed to ewes bedded with straw or unbedded. Gain and lambing performance were poorer for ewes fed AP-CU than for ewes fed AP-SBM, particularly for unbedded ewes. Dehydrating AP did not improve intake; thus, gain and performance for both SBM and CU treatments were poor. Intakes were generally lower for unbedded ewes than for bedded ewes. Trial 3 (112 ewes) compared a control diet to AP diets supplemented with SBM, CU, isolated soy protein (IS), CU plus additional IS, or CU plus straw fed to ewes bedded with straw or unbedded. The lower intakes for unbedded ewes and the poorer ewe weight gains and lambing performance for ewes fed AP-CU than for ewes fed AP-SBM were repeated in this trial. Among the AP diets, intake of the AP-CU-straw diet was greatest, and this diet diminished the adverse effects of AP-CU on lambing performance. Additional IS tended to improve ewe gains and fetal growth. Trials 4 and 5 (210 ewes) compared various combinations of a control diet and supplemented AP. Data were also obtained with dehydrated poultry excreta (DPE) as the N supplement for AP and with dehydrated citrus pulp (CP) instead of AP as the major dietary ingredient. Intakes, gain, and lambing performance were normal when 50% or less of the diet dry matter was from supplemented AP; results with SBM, CU, and DPE supplements were similar. The feeding of diets containing only supplemental CP reduced intake and performance similar to results of ewes fed only supplemented AP.

¹ Ruminant Nutrition Laboratory, Animal Science Institute, ARS, USDA, Beltsville, MD 20705.

² Formerly Ruminant Nutrition Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705. Current address: Bowie, MD 20715.

³ The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Mr. Thomas E. Mullinix, Jr. for the management and feeding aspects of this research.