EFFECTS OF REPLACEMENT OF SORGHUM GRAINS WITH WATERMELON BUG MEAL ON DESERT LAMBS PERFORMANCE

This study was conducted during the period from March to May 2019 with the aim of studying the effect of replacing sorghum grains with watermelon bug meal in the rations of Desert sheep. A total of 15 lambs were used at the age of 6-8 months with an average weight of 17.500 + 0.500 kg. The animals were divided into three groups with five animals. Feed intake, weight change, dry matter and organic matter digestibility were monitored for in vitro and in vivo digestion was estimated by total feces collection method. Data collected on weight change rates and nutrient digestibility were treated as a complete randomized design and statistically analyzed using variance analysis. The results showed that the intake of dry matter was significantly (P<0.05) increased in the group that consumed a ration containing 40% of watermelon bugs meal instead of sorghum grains with the same percentage, followed by the group that consumed a ration with sorghum grains while the lambs intake depended on the natural grazing without supplementation. The feed was 0.870, 0.804 and 0.786 kg for the group consuming the ration consisting 40% meal watermelon bugs and similar % of sorghum grains and natural grazing, respectively. The differences were significant (P<0.05). The digestibility of dry matter and organic matter was significant (P<0.05) the highest in the diet formulated by replacing sorghum grains with watermelon bug meal. The dry matter digestibility coefficients were significant (P<0.05) and amounted to 65.67, 56.45 and 51.45% of the group intake of watermelon; sorghum grains and natural grazing, respectively. The weight gain of lambs was 166, 108 and 40 grams per day for the groups of lambs that consumed the ration of watermelon, sorghum grains and natural grazing, respectively. The study concluded that it is possible to replace sorghum grains with watermelon bugs meal to reduce the cost of feeding without negatively affecting the performance of lambs.