| Abstract: |
The study was conducted in Animal Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt. The experimental work was achieved at 2008, in South Sinai Governorate, South Sinai Research Station, belonging to Desert Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Egypt. The first experiment, used 16 rams (3 – 5) years of old with average body weight of 68.79 ± 4.554 kg. It were randomly divided into four experimental groups (4 in each). The first group (control diet). The second, third and four groups were fed diets contained 47% crushed date stone (CDS), 47% roasted date stone (RDS) and 47% water soaked date stone (SDS), respectively to replace the same amount of yellow corn in the control diet. Results indicated that total feed intake, digestion coefficients of DM, OM, CP, CF, nutritive values (TDN and DCP%), nitrogen balance (as mg/kg BW) and total water intake were not significantly differed. In the second experiment, 27 growing male lambs (7-8 months age) with average body weight of 22.86 ± 1.649 kg were randomly divided into three experimental groups (9 in each). The first group served as control diet, the second and third groups were fed diets contained 47% (CDS) or 47% (SDS), respectively. Total feed intake was not significantly affected by tested diets. Digestion coefficients for all nutrients and nutritive values (TDN and DCP%) were significantly (P<0.05) higher with lambs fed the CDS diet compared with those fed the other diets. Final body weight and total body weight gain were higher with lambs fed CDS diet than the other groups. However the feed cost per kg gain live body weight were lower with lambs fed the treated diets than those fed the control diet. Hot carcass weights showed no significant differences between lamb groups. It concluded that crushed date stones and water soaked date stones can be totally substituted the yellow corn in the concentrated diet without any adverse effects on lambs performance.
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