12
MAY
2014

Use of brewer’s grains for feeding of lambs

A. Kirilov, K. Ivanov
Abstract. In production of beer, bio-ethanol or bio-diesel from grain or oil-bearing seeds by-products are obtained having good forage characteristics. The byproducts from brewing and distilling industry, which are rich in protein and are successfully used as protein sources in the rations for ruminant animals, are of interest to the farmers. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of substitution of 50% of the protein of sunflower meal in the compound feed by protein from brewer’s grains, preserved and fresh, or from rapeseed meal in feeding of lambs. For that purpose an experiment was carried out with 40 lambs of initial live weight of 27 kg from the Pleven Blackface sheep breed divided into 4 groups. On average for the experimental period the obtained daily weight gain was 206 g for the lambs from І group fed with sunflower meal and 205 g, 197 g and 253 g for ІІ, ІІІ and ІV group respectively, where 50% of the protein of sunflower meal was substituted by preserved brewer’s grains, rapeseed expeller and fresh brewer’s grains. It was concluded that the substitution of 50% of the protein of sunflower meal by such one from brewer’s grains or rapeseed expeller did not influence negatively the weight gain and feed consumption in feeding of lambs.

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