This research examined the impact of Pakan-SIP adoption on body weight trends and physiological characteristics of local crossbred sheep compared to conventional feeding based on native grass. Nine heads of local crossbred sheep were randomly allocated in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 3 dietary treatment levels, each in triplicate. It was 100% native grass (T0), 50% native grass and 50% Pakan-SIP (T1), and 100% Pakan-SIP (T2). The sheep, aged ±12 months old with initial body weight of ±28.97 kg/head. They were adapted to individual pens, simultaneously offered native grass and Pakan-SIP, and provided ad libitum drinking water during several weeks. Thereafter, body weight and physiological responses were monitored over a month. Results showed an upward trend in body weight for sheep fed Pakan-SIP with average of 6.37 kg/head/month without any deleterious effects on rectal temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate. These findings suggest that Pakan-SIP can serve a superior feed for fattening local crossbred sheep, supporting growth performance without compromising physiological stability or affecting animal welfare.
Syahniar et al. (2026) studied this question.