Enhancing Sheep Nutrition. Exploring the Nutritional Potential of Elephant Grass and Alfalfa Hay Supplemented with Urea-Treated Wheat Straw

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• Statement of the problem
• Objectives of the study
• Hypotheses
• Materials and Methods
• Study area and experimental design
• Animal husbandry and management
• Feed sampling and analysis
• Data analysis
• Results and Discussion
• Chemical composition of the feeds
• In vitro digestibility of the feeds
• Feed intake and performance of sheep
• Economic evaluation of the feeding system
• Conclusion
• Recommendations
• References

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This study aims to evaluate the nutritional potential of elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum S.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) hays supplemented with urea treated wheat straw for sheep. The research explores the impact of these feed combinations on various aspects, including nutrient composition, in vitro digestibility, animal performance, and economic feasibility.

• Nutrient content and digestibility of various forage combinations
• Impact of feed combinations on animal performance parameters
• Economic analysis of different feeding systems
• Evaluation of urea treated wheat straw as a supplementary feed source
• Sustainable feeding strategies for sheep production

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• Introduction: This chapter sets the context of the study by introducing the importance of sheep production in Ethiopia and highlighting the need for cost-effective and sustainable feeding strategies. The chapter also outlines the objectives, hypotheses, and research methodology employed in the study.
• Materials and Methods: This chapter provides detailed information about the study area, experimental design, animal management practices, feed sampling techniques, and data analysis methods used in the research.
• Results and Discussion: This chapter presents the findings of the study, including the chemical composition of the feeds, in vitro digestibility estimates, animal performance data, and economic analysis of the feeding systems. The results are discussed in relation to previous studies and the implications for sheep production are highlighted.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

Elephant grass, alfalfa, urea treated wheat straw, sheep, feed intake, nutrient digestibility, animal performance, economic analysis, sustainable feeding, Ethiopian sheep production