Feeding poultry litter to grazing Boran Zebu bulls and Ogaden sheep in Ethiopia

Abstract

The objective of these studies were to investigate the digestibility of poultry litter of layers and to add poultry litter to grazing Boran Zebu bulls and Ogaden sheep in East Ethiopia. Two feeding experiments (132 and 102 days) with Boran Zebu bulls (10 and 16 bulls per trial) and one feeding experiment with female Ogaden sheep (30 ewes) were carried out. All animals were grazing all day long. During the night the animals of all trials were divided into two groups each. The animals of one group of each experiment obtained poultry litter ad libitum without any other feedstuffs. Apart from feeding trials digestion experiments were carried out in order to determine the digestibility of poultry litter in 4 Ogaden sheep. The apparent digestibility of organic matter and crude protein of poultry litter amounted to 69.8 and 82.8%, the net energy content was indicated with 474 EFUc per kg of dry matter. The daily weight gain of Boran Zebu bulls fed on poultry litter was by 40 and 91 g (6.5 and 13.6% in exp. 1 and 2) higher than that of control groups. Especially during the dry season (Feb./March 1982) bulls supplemented with poultry litter were highly superior in daily weight gain (84 and 310 g per day more in exp. 1 and 2) to unsupplemented groups. The daily weight gain of Ogaden sheep fed on poultry litter in a short-term experiment (56 days) under improved grazing conditions (April-June 1982) was by 13 g per day higher than that of control animals (weight gain: 18 and 31 g per animal and day).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Diagnosis and treatment of copper poisoning caused by accidental feeding on poultry litter in a sheep flock

“…Other sources of Cu poisoning in sheep are: concentrated feed mixtures designed for horses, cattle or pigs; various types of Cu preparations for the prevention of Cu deficiency; use of Cu sulphate in footbaths and spraying areas against snails which transmit fluke; copper‐containing pesticides and fungicides in orchards where sheep graze; industrial Cu waste in rivers and streams; and slurry from pig units and poultry litter used as fertiliser 1,5,11–14,16,21 . Although Cu poisoning has been recorded in sheep grazing pastures fertilised with chicken litter, 16 the inclusion of poultry litter in sheep rations is recommended by some researchers as an alternative source of protein and energy 6,8,15,17,18 …”

Study on Effect of Poultry-Litter-Based-Silage on Serum Chemistry of Fattening Lambs

“…Feed conversion efficiency was impaired when proportion of poultry litter exceeded in fattening concentrate mixture (Tagari et al, 1976) but this effect was not seen in the present study when poultry litter was used in silage. Flachowsky (1985) reported daily live weight gain in sheep fed poultry litter on average 13 G per daily higher than that of the control. In conclusion the changes in serum biochemistry are of no clinical significance and that poultry-litter-based-silage can be used as a nitrogen supplement for fattening of sheep.…”