The effect of temperature and method of feeding on the diestibility of two milk substitutes and on the performance of lambs

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Abstract
SUMMARY: The effects of temperature and method of feeding on the intake characteristics and digestibilities of two milk substitutes were examined.Forty Finnish Landrace x Dorset Horn lambs (20 males and 20 females) were fed one of two milk substitutes from 3 to 25 days of age when they were slaughtered and chemical composition of the empty body was measured.The two milk substitutes contained 30% fat in the dry matter as butter fat (diet B), or tallow and coconut oil (diet TC).The diets were offered at either 34°C (W) or 5 °C (C) and three methods of feeding were used. The diets were given: ad libitumcold (AL1), four feeds to appetite per day either warm or cold (AL2W and AL2C) and four feeds restricted to an intake of 62 g D.M./kg live weight0·5 either warm or cold (RW or RC).Digestibilities of the milk substitutes were not affected by the temperature at which they were offered or the feeding regime used. Diet B had an apparent dry-matter digestibility of 97·6% and diet TC 92·5%. The fat digestibility of diet TC was 13·6 units lower than diet B and this affected the digestibility of all the other dietary components.Lambs tended to consume more of diet B and grow faster.Lambs on treatment AL1 consumed 21% more milk substitute than those on treatment AL2.The composition of the body-weight gain was found to alter with rate of gain.The temperature at which the milk substitutes were offered had only a minor effect on the performance of the lambs. The type of milk substitute and feeding regime used had a greater influence on both lamb intake and growth.