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Influence of Dietary Sewage Solids on Fleece Characteristics and Weight Responses of Fine-Wool Ewes¹

New Mexico State University², Las Cruces 88003

Abstract

Seventy-nine mature fine wool ewes and 39 ewe lambs were used to examine the influence of dietary sewage solids on animal weight, grease and clean fleece weights, fiber diameter and staple length. Ewes were fed either a basal diet (n = 27), the basal diet plus 3.5% cotton-seed meal (CSM, n = 24) or the basal diet plus 7% undigested, irradiated (1-Mrad) sewage solids (n = 28). Female offspring from dams receiving CSM and sewage solids were fed either a conventional lamb diet or a similar lamb diet containing 7% sewage solids during a 147-d feeding period, after which conventionally-fed lambs received the CSM ewe diet and sewage-fed ewe lambs received the sewage solids ewe diet. Ewes consuming sewage solids weighed less (P<.05) than those receiving CSM before first lambing and those fed (P<.10) both basal and CSM before the second breeding season. Ewe lambs receiving sewage solids weighed less (P<.025) throughout the experiment than did conventionally-fed lambs. Neither grease fleece weight, clean fleece weight nor staple length of mature ewes (12-mo clip) was adversely affected by sewage solids; but fiber diameter was greater (P<.05) in sewage-fed ewes than in either those receiving basal or CSM diets. Sewage consumption by ewe lambs resulted in no significant detrimental influence on clean fleece weight, staple length or fiber diameter (10-mo clip). similarly, when grease fleece weight was expressed as a percentage of body weight, no significant advantage in wool production for conventionally-fed ewe lambs was observed. These results indicate that fiber diameter in mature ewes and body weight in ewe lambs may be altered by a diet containing 7% sewage solids.

¹ Journal Article 925 of the New Mexico Agr. Exp. Sta. This study was supported in part by funds from the U.S. Dept. of Energy/Albuquerque Operations under Contract No. DE-AC04-76ET-33626 and in cooperation with Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque.

² Dept. of Anim. and Range Sci. Appreciation is expressed to D. G. Morrical, R. E. Hudgens, D. W. Sanson, S. A. Mischler, H. E. Kiesling and G. S. Smith for their assistance. Direct reprint requests to D. M. Hallford.