Effect of pulse Chunni based complete diets on growth and biometry of Nellore Ramlambs
Author(s): Jagadamba Kunja, Ch. Harikrishna, P Amareswari and M Venkateswarlu
Abstract: The present study was conducted on thirty-two growing Nellore brown ram lambs (96.30±2.70 days of age; 13.27±0.03 kg body weight) to evaluate the effect of pulse chunni inclusion in sorghum-straw-based complete diets on growth performance and biometric traits. The lambs were allotted randomly to four treatment groups and reared under an intensive system for 120 days: T1 (control)-complete diet without pulse chunni, T2 (RGCC)-15% red gram chunni, T3 (GGCC)-15% green gram chunni, and T4 (BGCC)-15% Bengal gram chunni. Total feed intake and daily dry matter intake were higher in T2 compared to other treatments. Body weight differed significantly (p<0.01) among groups from the 2nd to 8th fortnights, with T2 lambs recording the highest values. Total body weight gain was 10.65, 10.98, 10.76, and 10.66 kg for T1, T2, T3, and T4, respectively, with significantly greater gain in T2. Average daily gain was also higher (p<0.01) in T2 (91.46±0.49 g) compared to T1 (88.75±0.90 g), T3 (89.69±0.49 g), and T4 (88.85±0.49 g). Biometric traits (pin-shoulder length, height at withers, heart girth, and paunch girth) increased linearly throughout the study, with higher values observed in T2. Inclusion of 15% red gram chunni in sorghum-straw-based complete diets significantly improved feed intake, weight gain, ADG, and biometric growth in experimental lambs under intensive rearing, establishing its superiority over green gram and Bengal gram chunnies.
