Effect of Nutritional Restriction Levels and Glycerol on Growth Performance of Local Male Lambs

This research investigated the effect of nutritional restrictions and glycerol addition on the growth performance of local male lambs. The experiment was conducted on 24 local male lambs aged 3 - 3.5 months weighing 18±1.13 kg on average.  The lambs were randomly assigned to six treatment groups. In Phase 1, the findings showed that the control group was more efficient in reducing the cost of producing 1 kg of weight gain than the glycerol group. The 0% feed restriction group outperformed the 70% and 50% groups in most production traits, with the 0% and 70% groups showing better feed conversion ratios and lower production costs than the 50% group. In Phase 2, adding glycerol reduced dry matter intake but maintained the lower cost for weight gain in the control group. The 0% feed restriction outperformed other treatments in terms of weight and feed intake. However, the 50% feed restriction group showed better feed efficiency, with the best feed conversion ratio and production cost. For the combined phases of nutrition restriction and free re-alimentation, the study found the control group had a significantly lower cost for producing 1 kg of weight gain compared to the glycerol addition group. Among the feed restriction treatments, the 0% group led in effectiveness followed by the 70% and 50% groups in terms of weight gain, feed intake, and other production indicators. In conclusion, the best treatment was recorded by the 70% feed restriction without glycerol group in terms of lowest cost for weight gain, reduced feed intake, and final weight similar to the control