Department of Animal
Production, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud
University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
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Forty eight 4-month-old Awassi male lambs (initial bodyweight 23.5 ± 1.3
kg) were used in a 70-day trial to evaluate the effects of supplemental
AcidBuf (calcified seaweed extract) with different levels of salt
(sodium chloride) on ruminal fermentation and tissue
morphology of growing lambs.
Animals were individually housed in shaded pens and randomly divided
into 6 groups of 8 lambs each. The dietary treatments were: 1) no added
supplemental AcidBuf or salt (control group; the basal diet), 2) 0.4%
added AcidBuf (A+S0.0), 3) 0.4% added AcidBuf + 0.4% added salt
(A+S0.4), 4) 0.4% added AcidBuf + 0.8% added salt (A+S0.8), 5) 0.4%
added AcidBuf + 0.12% added salt (A+S1.2), and 6) 0.4% added AcidBuf +
1.6% added salt (A+S1.6). The basal diet was used a commercial total
mixed ration, containing 1.95 Mcal MEm and 13.0% CP/kg. Rumen
fluid samples were collected from all lambs at 0, 2, 4 and 8 hours after
feeding during day 1, 30, 60 and 70
to
measure pH and fermentation profile.
At the end of the study, lambs were slaughtered for
evaluating the rumen papillae morphology. Lambs on the AcidBuf diets had
less (P<0.05)
pH, at after 0 and 2 h of the morning feeding and over the collection
period, than those of lambs on the control diet. The length and the total surface of papillae
were greater (P<0.05) in
lambs fed only AcidBuf (A+S0.0) than those of lambs on the CON diet.
Overall, these data indicate that AcidBuf and salt supplementation did
not affect rumen fermentation and tissue morphology of growing lambs.
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