What question did this study set out to answer?

To determine whether growing lambs can actively select a diet from feeds of varying crude protein concentrations to meet their physiological requirements.

May 1, 1993British Journal Of NutritionOpen Access

Diet selection in sheep: the ability of growing lambs to select a diet that meets their crude protein (nitrogen × 6.25) requirements

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Authors

IKI. KyriazakisQueen's University Belfast JOJ. D. OldhamScottish Agricultural Science Agency

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Implication

Controlled feeding trial demonstrates that growing lambs self-select diets satisfying crude protein requirements while avoiding excess, indicating innate nutritional regulation.

Key Points

To determine whether growing lambs can actively select a diet from feeds of varying crude protein concentrations to meet their physiological requirements.
Formulated five feeds with identical metabolizable energy (11 MJ/kg) but differing crude protein (CP) levels (78, 109, 141, 172, and 235 g CP/kg), plus a urea-supplemented diet (132 g CP/kg).
Offered diets ad libitum either as a single feed (n = 4 per treatment) or as a paired choice with high-protein feed H (pairs LH, AH, BH, CH, UH; n = 9 per pair) to Suffolk × Scottish mule wether lambs weighing 25–45 kg.
Single-feed live-weight gains were 273, 326, 412, 418, 396, and 407 g/day (SED 34; P < 0.01) and protein gains were 27, 32, 44, 45, 41, and 39 g/day (SED 4; P < 0.001) for feeds L, A, B, C, H, and U, respectively.
Lambs offered a choice between a low-protein feed and feed H selected diets containing 131 g CP/kg (pair LH) and 133 g CP/kg (pair AH), whereas lambs offered two feeds above requirements preferred the lower-protein option (874 g/kg for B; 910 g/kg for C).
Choice-fed lambs achieved live-weight gains of 383–416 g/day (SED 37) and protein gains of 40–50 g/day (SE 7), matching the maximum growth rates achieved by lambs fed single optimized diets.

Cite This Study

Kyriazakis et al. (1993) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a7395a820644e164b4e62ce https://doi.org/10.1079/bjn19930064

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Implication

Controlled feeding trial demonstrates that growing lambs self-select diets satisfying crude protein requirements while avoiding excess, indicating innate nutritional regulation.

Diet selection in sheep: the ability of growing lambs to select a diet that meets their crude protein (nitrogen × 6.25) requirements

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Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Diet selection in sheep: the ability of growing lambs to select a diet that meets their crude protein (nitrogen × 6.25) requirements

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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