Effect of supplementation of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) hay and urea molasses block on carcass characteristics of yearling local sheep fed grass hay as a basal diet

Abstract A study was conducted to evaluate effect of supplementation of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) hay and urea molasses block on carcass characteristics of yearling local sheep fed with grass hay as a basal diet. Twenty-four yearling intact male local sheep with mean initial body weight of 23.9±1.9 (Mean ± SD) were used in completely randomized block design. Treatments were grass hay fed ad libitum to all treatments plus 1% of live weight alfalfa hay (T1), 1.5% of live weight alfalfa hay (T2), 2.0% of live weight alfalfa hay (T3), and all the three treatments offered with 100g/head/day of Urea-molasses-block (UMB). The control treatment was supplemented with concentrate mix at 2.0% of live weight (T4). The study period consisted 84 days of feeding and 7 days digestibility trials. Hot carcass weight was 12.2, 12.4, 12.9 and 16.3 (SE=± 0.45) kg for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively and the values were the highest for T4 (p<0.001). Besides, dressing percentage (slaughter weight bases) was 43.55%, 44.6%, 44.53%, and 47.76% (SE=± 0.56) for T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively and T1 was lowest and the values were similar among T2, T3, and T4 (p<0.05). The study showed that concentrate supplementation at 2% body weight resulted in greater hot carcass and primal cut weight than graded levels of alfalfa in combination with same amount of UMB. Additionally, the dressing percentage achieved at T2 and T3 was commendable. Therefore, T3 with good dressing percentage and biological performance can be considered as alternative supplement when concentrate is in short supply.