Silage Experiment of Citrus Peel Residue and Its Application in Feeding Small-tailed Han Sheep

PurposeTo study the effect of silage citrus peel residue feed on small-tailed Han sheep.

MethodThe change of nutrient composition of citrus peel residue with silage time was followed up, and then the citrus peel residue for 4 months of silage was used to replace 20% of the full-price feed and forage of sheep, forty 4-month-old small-tailed Han sheep were selected for a 5-month feeding experiment to study the effects of silage citrus peel residue on the small-tailed Han sheep’s weight, height, quality and economic benefits.

ResultWhen citrus peel residue was ensiled for 2 months, the pH value decreased to 3.73, and the content of crude protein, crude fat and crude fiber were reached to the maximum. The content of crude protein remained a high level for 2-4 months. The average daily gain (ADG) of the test group was lower than that of the control group by 0.026 kg in first month (P<0.05), and the ADG of the test group was higher than that of the control group in 2-5 months (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, nutrient composition of mutton in the test group increased slightly but the difference was not significant (P>0.05), the content of pentadecanoic acid, palmitic acid and heptadecanoic acid in mutton fatty acid decreased by 0.515%, 3.2% and 1.5% respectively (P<0.05). The weight gain cost per kilogram of sheep was reduced by 16.07 yuan, and the net profit per kilogram of sheep was increased by 11.52 yuan.

ConclusionThe suitable silage time of citrus peel residue is 2-4 months. The silage citrus peel residue feed can effectively increase the ADG of small-tailed Han sheep, slightly increase the nutrient composition of mutton, improve the fatty acid composition of mutton, reduce the feed cost and increase the economic benefits.