Effects of Different Combinations of Selenium-Enrich Total Mixed Ration on Growth Performance, Slaughter Performance and Antioxidant Performance of Weaned Lambs

Abstract Objective: The experiment was conducted to study the effects of different combinations of cottonseed meal and soybean meal on growth performance, slaughter performance and antioxidant performance of Enshi weaned lamb under selenium enriched background, which was to provide reference for lamb production. Method: A total of 72 weaned lambs of 75-day-old were randomly divided into 4 groups with 3 replicates per group and 6 lambs per replicate. These four groups were soybean meal group (SM), cottonseed meal group (CM), soybean meal & cottonseed meal group (SCM, SM/CM=1:1) and fermented cottonseed meal group (FCM). The total mixed ration was made according to concentrate: forage ratio (7:3). The experiment lasted for 90 d. At the end of the experiment, 4 lambs were randomly selected for slaughter and the samples were collected for determination. Results: The ADG (average daily gain) of CM was the least (P< 0.05). The ADFI (average daily feed intake) of FCM was less than that of SM (P< 0.05). The F/G (ratio of feed to gain) of FCM was less than that of SM (P=0.06) and CM (P< 0.05). There was no significant difference in slaughter rate among all groups. The SOD content in serum of FCM was higher than that of other groups (P< 0.01) while the content of MAD was the least (P< 0.01). Conclusion: It was concluded that feeding with selenium-enrich total mixed ration made by fermented cottonseed meal could improve the growth performance and antioxidant performance of lambs. It also reduced the cost of lamb production.