Effect of treatment of wheat straw with Pleurotus florida on feed intake, digestibility and body condition score in ewes

This experiment was carried out to compare the effects of treated and untreated wheat straw with Pleurotus florida on ewe feed intake, nutrient digestibility, and ewe body condition score (BCS) after parturition. Thirty Kermani ewes with an average weight of 48 ± 3.05 kg and about four years old were used in this experiment. Synchronization of estrus in sheep has been achieved with the use of intravaginal sponges containing synthetic progestagens. Sixty days before parturition, ewes were randomly assigned to three diets: 1) control (50% untreated wheat straw), 2) 50% treated wheat straw before harvesting the fungi, 3) 50% treated wheat straw after harvesting the fungi. The energy and CP content of the experimental diets were 2.1 Mcal and 11.0%, respectively, and Ca:P ratio was 1.8. Dry matter intake (DMI) and organic matter intake (OMI) were affected by the experimental diets (P 0.05). The ewe body weight and body condition score (BCS) postpartum were not affected by experimental diets. At the beginning of experiment, there was a negative correlation between lamb birth weight and ewe body weight and BCS > 4 had lighter lambs (P