Feed intake, nutrient digestibility, and growth performance of Dorper × Menz crossbred sheep fed effective microorganisms treated teff (Eragrostis tef) straw supplemented with graded levels of concentrate

Abstract

• Treating teff straw using effective microbes improves feed intake and digestibility • Biologically treated straw with high concentrate level improves animal performance • Effective microbes treatment of teff straw and concentrate improve nutrient content • Sheep feeding treated teff straw and high level of concentrate attain higher gains • Treated teff straw and high concentrate level improve feeding efficiency and income This experiment evaluated the effects of untreated and effective microorganism (EM)-treated teff straw, with varying concentrate levels, on intake, digestibility, and performance of yearling Dorper × Menz crossbred male sheep. The treatments included untreated teff straw (UTS) plus 400 g concentrate (Treatment 1, T1) and EM-treated teff straw (TTS) with concentrate levels of 200 g (T2), 300 g (T3), and 400 g (T4). Twenty-four sheep, with average body weight of 25.98±2.19 kg, were randomly assigned to four treatments (n = 6 sheep/treatment). The straw was chopped to 2-4 cm, with three-fourths treated with activated EM solution. The straw (treated or untreated) was offered ad libitum as basal feed, with diets provided twice daily for 90 days, followed by a 10-day digestibility trial. Results indicated that TTS had higher values of organic matter (OM, 91.21%) and crude protein (CP, 6.94%), while UTS exhibited higher neutral detergent fiber (NDF, 74.76%) content ( p < 0.0001). The highest dry matter (DM) intakes occurred in sheep fed T4, with significantly higher ( p < 0.0001) daily DM (1398.92), OM (1308.83), and CP (156.48) intakes (g/day) compared to T1, T2, and T3. Additionally, T4 improved digestibility, resulting in higher body weight gain (93.70 g/day), feed conversion efficiency (0.07), and returns. Treating the straw and increasing concentrate levels improved DM and nutrient digestibility. Based on the results, it is concluded that EM-treated teff straw supplemented with 400 g concentrate enhances Dorper × Menz sheep performance, suggesting biological treatment improves straw utilization, feeding efficiency, gain, and returns.