Digestibility of de-oiled rice bran and its effect on the growth performance of native sheep in Bangladesh

Abstract

This experiment aimed to assess the digestibility of de-oiled rice bran and its impact on the growth performance of sheep. Twelve Indigenous male lambs, approximately 10 months of age, were subjected to a feeding trial involving different levels of de-oiled rice bran (50 g, 100 g, and 150 g) for 45 days. The results revealed that the digestibility of crude protein (CP) was significantly higher (P<0.01) in the 100 g de-oiled rice bran group compared to the 50 g and 150 g groups. The mean values for CP digestibility in these groups were 59.711±0.833, 60.711±0.890, and 48.719±2.329, respectively. Similarly, the digestibility of crude fiber (CF) was significantly higher (P<0.01) in the 100 g de-oiled rice bran group compared to the 50 g and 150 g groups. The mean values for CF digestibility in these groups were 63.174±.94, 63.840±1.61, and 51.584±0.91, respectively. However, the digestibility of ether extract (EE) and nitrogen-free extract (NFE) did not exhibit significant differences (P= 0.305 and P= 0.147, respectively). The average weight gain of the control, 50 g, 100 g, and 150 g de-oiled rice bran-fed groups were 1.03±0.033, 2.63±0.185, 4.36±0.185, and 4.16±0.166, respectively. The body weight gain tended to be higher in the 100 g de-oiled rice bran-fed group compared to the control, 50 g, and 150 g de-oiled rice bran-fed groups. Therefore, it can be concluded that supplementing 100 g of de-oiled rice bran with ad libitum green grass per day was more beneficial for the sheep than any other levels of de-oiled rice bran.