Response of Lambs Fed Varied Levels of Elemental Sulfur, Sulfate Sulfur and Methionine

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Abstract
An experiment is reported in which forty growing-fattening lambs were fed a purified ration (consisting primarily of wood cellulose, wheat straw, starch, cerelose, and urea) to study the utilization of inorganic sulfur and urea nitrogen in the nutrition of lambs. The basal ration, containing 0.054 percent sulfur with 92 percent of the nitrogen from urea, was supplemented with three gaded levels each of elemental sulfur (0.2%, 0.4% and 0.6%), sodium sulfate (0.89%, 1.33% and 1.78%), and DL-methionine (0.2%, 0.5% and 0.7%). Weight gains and wool growth were increased by the addition of the sulfur supplements. This increase was highly significant (P <0.001). There was no statistically significant difference among the sulfur sources or levels within each source. The lambs receiving the basal ration lost weight throughout the trial. One died at 53 days and a second at 58 days. The rations having the lowest level of each sulfur supplement (0.2 percent elemental sulfur, 0.89 percent sodium sulfate, and 0.2 percent DL-methionine) furnished adequate or nearly adequate sulfur as judged by gain in weight and wool growth. Under the conditions of this experiment the high levels of urea fed apparently had no effect on blood urea levels. The efficiency of the three sulfur supplements is briefly discussed. Copyright © . .

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