• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.85-89
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• 1990

Sixteen Harnai lambs were used in a completely randomized design to study the nutritive value of fourwing saltbush as a winter maintenance browse in comparison to native range grazing with or without protein and energy supplementation at Tomagh Range Livestock Research Station, in Loralai District, Balochistan. The animals were divided into four groups of four lambs each. These four groups were assigned four treatments at random: fourwing saltbush grazing alone, range grazing plus lucerne hay (100 g/head/day), range grazing plus barley grain (100 g/head/day) and range grazing alone for ten weeks. The results indicate that the two range grazing plus supplementation treatments produced weight gains which were not significantly different from each other (p < 0.05). Both of these treatments yielded significantly higher weight gains (p < 0.05) than did range grazing alone except for the last week of the study. Fourwing saltbush grazing provided cumulative weight gains at 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 weeks which were not significantly different from the range grazing plus lucerne hay treatment and gained an average of 6 percent in body weight over the 10 week period of study. The carrying capacity for sheep of a mature stand of fourwing saltbush was approximately 20 Sheep-kg-days (SKD) of grazing per cubic meter of foliage. Results of this study suggest that under fourwing saltbush grazing alone, lambs do not only maintain their body weights but can also gain weight in winter.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.299-303
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• 1990

Twenty-four Harnai lambs 6 to 7 month old, weighing $16{\pm}2kg$ were used in a completely randomized design in growth and digestibility trials to study fourwing saltbush ratio supplemented with cotton seed cake. The animal were divided at random into three groups of 8 animals each. Three iso-nitrogenous (10.5% CP) experimental rations (1, 2 and 3) containing wheat straw + lucerne hay (24:76); fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens) + cotton seed cake (71:29); and wheat straw + cottonseed cake (41:59); respectively, were allotted to each group randomly. All the animals were taken out for grazing in a dormant native range for about 3 hours in the afternoon during the growth trial. The growth trial lasted for 8 weeks followed by a digestibility trial. At the end of 8 weeks lambs on ration 3 had gained significantly (p<0.10) more weight compared to those on rations 1 and 2 which maintained their body weight. The crude protein digestibility of the fourwing saltbush based ration was comparable with the other two treatments (71 vs 70 and 71%). However, the digestibility of dry matter (41%), acid detergent fibre (13%) and neutral detergent fibre (22%) of this ration was significantly lower (p<0.10) than the other two diets. The results suggest that lambs can be maintained on fourwing saltbush during winter without significant loss in body weight with 30% extra protein concentrate supplementation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.123-126
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• 1996

Sixteen Harnai males were used to evaluate the influence of varying levels of fourwing saltbush hay on feed and water intakes as well as the blood serum mineral status in a completely randomized design. The animals were grouped randomly into four, with four animals in each. The four groups were randomly allotted low, medium, high and very high levels of saltbush hay supplementation in addition to wheat straw. The animals were given fresh water at free of choice. Weekly body weight was recorded for each individual animal. Blood serum was collected for mineral contents. The experiment lasted for eight weeks. The inclusion of saltbush leaves in the diet showed a non-significant effect on the total dry matter intake. There has been a significant increase in the water intake when very high levels of saltbush were included in the ration. Lower levels showed no effect on the water intake. The animals maintained their body weight from week 1 to week 8. No treatment by weeks interactions on the potassium and sodium levels were detected. However higher levels of saltbush increased significantly the potassium and sodium contents in the serum. Calcium contents were significantly(p<0.01) lowered with the inclusion of saltbush leaves in the diet. Whereas Phosphorous contents showed an increasing(p<0.05) trend with the higher levels of saltbush. No clinical or sub-clinical toxicological symptoms were observed in the sheep with the higher mineral contents.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.647-650
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• 1996

Fifteen sheep were used in a trial which compared the feeding value of whole barley gain and cottonseed cake as supplements to a basal diet of leaves of fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens). Diet SB contained 700 g (air-dry matter) of saltbush alone, diet SB + BG contained 700 g SB with 400 g whole barley grain and diet SB + CS contained 700 g SB with 400 g cottonseed cake. The digestibility of the dry matter of diets SB (69%) and SB + CS (70%) were lower (p < 0.001) than of diet SB + BG (76%). Sheep offered SB alone daily lost 80g whereas those fed the other diets gained 11 g (SB + CS) or 17 g (SB + BG) per day. Daily water consumption of the sheep offered the three diets was similar (p > 0.05), but their water consumption was higher (p < 0.001) than that of sheep offered daily 700 g wheat straw and 200 g barley grain. The results indicate that, at the levels of feeding used, barley grain and cottonseed cake had similar value as supplements to fourwing saltbush harvested in summer. The addition of the supplement allowed the sheep to gain some live weight. However, the presence of saltbush leaves in the diet resulted in higher water intakes by the sheep.