Comparative Analysis of Feeding Strategies on the Growth and Carcass Quality of Turki-Qashqai Lambs: A Focus on Supplementary Feed Concentration

Subject Areas :

A. Ahmadpour ¹ , S. Forouzanfar ² , S. Ghazanfari ³ , R. Hafedh Sabeeh Alrahif ⁴ , M. Zarrin ⁵

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Received: 2024-08-24 Accepted : 2025-01-17 Published : 2025-03-01

Keywords: carcass characteristics, concentrated feed, fattening lambs, feeding system, growth performance,

Abstract :

This study evaluated the effects of feedlot and pasture-based systems on Turki-Qashqai lambs across two distinct phases. The first phase assessed growth performance under intensive conditions using two diets: diet 1 (50% tropical forage, 50% commercial concentrate) and diet 2 (50% tropical forage, 25% corn grain, 25% soybean meal). The second phase compared carcass and meat quality between intensively-fed and pasture-raised lambs. Lambs were randomly assigned to diets with equal replication, and data were ana-lyzed using a completely randomized design with the SAS software package. The findings revealed no sig-nificant differences in feed intake between dietary treatments, but lambs fed diet 2 exhibited significantly higher daily weight gain (267 g/day) compared to those on diet 1 (189 g/day). At the end of the trial, diet 2 lambs also achieved a higher final live weight (33.83 kg) than diet 1 lambs (30.6 kg, P<0.05). Cold carcass weight was significantly greater in intensively-fed lambs compared to pasture-raised counterparts (P<0.05). Diets rich in concentrates produced carcasses with lower moisture content and higher levels of crude pro-tein, fat, and minerals. This contributed to meat that was more tender and darker in color compared to meat from pasture-raised lambs. These findings highlight the advantages of incorporating concentrated feeds into lamb diets to improve growth performance and carcass quality while enhancing meat tenderness and nutri-tional value. The results provide valuable insights for optimizing feeding strategies to maximize production efficiency in Turki-Qashqai lambs.

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