REPLACING SOYBEAN MEAL WITH Azolla pinnata AND ITS EFFECT ON SOME RUMEN CHARACTERISTICS AND BLOOD PARAMETER

This study was conducted at the College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences at the University of Baghdad. It lasted from November 15, 2022, until January 15, 2023. to determine the effect of replacing soybean meal with Azolla plant in the concentrated diet at a rate of 0%, 4%, 8%, and 12% on the properties of rumen fluid, the number of bacteria and protozoa, the coefficient of digestion of nutrients, and some blood properties for Awassi lambs. Twenty Awassi lambs were used, their weights ranged between 18 and 19 kg and their ages ranged from 3 to 4 months. They were housed in individual cages and fed a concentrated feed at 2.5% of body weight in the morning meal while roughage (barley straw) was provided freely. The results showed that there were significant differences in the pH value of treatment T4 at the time of zero withdrawal of rumen fluid, as it was recorded at 7.74, while there were no significant differences between the treatments for the concentration of Ammonia Nitrogen (NH3-N) and Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA). The results showed a significant decrease (P≤0.05) in the numbers of bacteria and protozoa in the rumen fluid of the T2 treatment compared to the control treatment.