Comparison of hooded barley and other barley varieties on fattening performance and nutrient digestibility of Awassi sheep

A lamb fattening study and a digestion study were carried out for comparison of three types of barley grain using a total of 36 male lambs and 16 ram lambs, respectively. Fattening rations included 100 g/day of alfalfa hay. The first group received hooded barley grains, the second group was fed white barley, and the third group received black barley, each constituting 75% of the concentrate feed. The total fattening period lasted 84 days, including a 14-day adaptation period. A total of 16 Awassi ram lambs were selected for the classical digestion experiment and divided into four groups. Live weight gains at the end of 70 days of fattening were determined as 244 g/day in the hooded barley group, 249 g/day in the black barley group and 237 g/day in the white barley group. Feed efficiency was determined as 5.79 in the hooded barley group, 6.31 in the black barley group and 5.69 in the white barley group. As a result of the classical digestion experiment although there was no significant difference in the nutrient digestibility of DM, OM, CP, NDF and CF values, the group including hooded barley had a higher ADF digestibility rate than the groups containing the black barley variety. As a result, it was determined that there was no difference in terms of nutrient composition or its effect on the fattening performance of lambs consuming new hooded barley and other two barley varieties.