TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Effect of Feed Supplementing and Processing on the Live-Weight Gain of Tibetan Sheep During the Cold Season on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
AU - Xin-Quan, Zhao AU - Liang, Zhao AU - Shi-Xiao, Xu AU - Dong, Q.M. AU - Bing-Fu, Feng AU - Junhu, Cao 
JO  - Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances
VL  - 12
IS  - 2
SP  - 208
EP  - 211
PY  - 2013
DA  - 2001/08/19
SN  - 1680-5593
DO  - javaa.2013.208.211
UR  - https://makhillpublications.co/view-article.php?doi=javaa.2013.208.211
KW  - Tibetan sheep
KW  -feeds conversion
KW  -apparent digestibility
KW  -live-weight gain
KW  -Feeds processing
KW  -Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
AB  - Overgrazing and grassland degradation are ongoing concerns 
  for the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau under the present use of the traditional sheep 
  production system. In order to protect the plateau and still enable the local 
  herders to raise their sheep the effect of feeds processing on Tibetan sheep 
  productivity during the cold season was undertaken to determine the effect of 
  supplementing with three different feed processing of concentrate plus oat grass 
  on 18 castrated Tibetan sheep (aged 10 months) previously grazed on local range/pasture. 
  The effects on live weight gain, apparent digestibility and feeds conversion 
  were measured. The three different diets were diet 1: non-processed concentrate 
  + oat grass, diet 2: steam flaked concentrate + oat grass and diet 3: steam 
  flaked concentrate + silage oat grass. The results showed that diet 3 had the 
  highest Average Daily Gain (ADG) (160.33 g). This was 97 g greater than that 
  of diet 1 (p<0.01) and 54.67 g greater than diet 2 (p<0.05). Diet 2 was 
  41.67 g greater (p<0.05) than that of diet 1. Similar results were obtained 
  among the three diets in regards to apparent digestibility and feedstuff conversion. 
  Compared to the traditional Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau’s sheep production 
  system, all three of the tested diets had higher ADG and reduced feedstuff conversion. 
  Applying concentrate/fodder supplementation and processing could thus shorten 
  the sheep’s lifecycle reducing the number of Tibetan sheep on the plateau 
  and therefore, decrease the grazing pressure on the open grasslands.
ER  -