A Study of Some Wool Traits of Barki Sheep Fed on Nigella sativa Cake under Desert Conditions | ||||
| Alexandria Journal of Agricultural Sciences | ||||
| Article 2, Volume 62, Issue 4, August 2017, Page 341-348 PDF (535.49 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/alexja.2017.67625 | ||||
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| Author | ||||
| E. A. Taha, | ||||
| Wool Production and Technology Department, Animal and Poultry Production Division, Desert Research Center, Minstry of Agriculture, Egypt | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| This study was conducted at Maryout Research Station, Desert Research Center (33 km south west of Alexandia), to investigate the effect of feeding Nigella sativa cake (NSC) as a protein source on wool production and characteristics of the growing male Barki lambs under the semi-arid conditions. Twenty one growing male Barki lambs (3 months) weighing 22.90 kg were used in this study, from weaning up to sexual maturity (300 days). Animals were randomly distributed to three equal groups with seven lambs each. The first group was fed on concentrate feed mixture (CFM) containing 35% undecorated cotton seed meal (CSM) and served as a control group. The second (G2) and third (G3) groups were fed on the same concentrate mixture in which the protein source was partially replaced by 5 and 10 % of NSC, respectively. The results revealed that using Nigella sativa cake as an alternative protein source at levels of 5% (G2) and 10% (G3) significantly improved final body weight, daily gain, greasy fleece weight and clean wool yield. It also improved (P<0.01) wool traits that including staple length, staple strength, point of staple break and staple elongation rate. Wool bulk and resilience were also improved by the two levels of NSC as both traits are considered as indicators for wool quality affecting carpet manufacture. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Nigella sativa cake; wool growth; fiber diameter; staple length; staple strength; bulk; Resilience | ||||
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