Determination of chemical composition of corn gluten feed and Comparison of performance, nutrient digestibility and carcass of fattening lambs with different levels of soybean meal replacement with corn gluten feed.

Considering that about 70 to 75 percent (in developed countries about 50-60 percent) of the total production costs related to livestock feed. One of the economical ways of producing is to use waste from agricultural and industrial activities, One of the industrial wastes of corn gluten feed that is used in the feeding of dairy cattle, sheep. A little comparison of performance, Carcass traits and digestibility has done of the same energy and protein feeds in sheep. The aim of this study, was the replacement of Soybean meal with corn gluten feed in the diet of fattening lambs and the investigate effect of it on performance, Carcass traits and digestibility.

This experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with Four diets (Treatment) containing 0, 33, 66 and 100 percent Corn gluten feed was substituted with soybean meal on fattened lambs. Six lambs were given to each treatment (Repeat) with the age of about three months. Animals were individually located in separate cages for 84 days (15 days adaptation period). The protein and energy content of diets were equal. Dry matter, ash, crude fiber, and crude fat were determined according to AOAC (2000), crude protein was determined by Coldall method (AOAC, 2000), NDF, ADF and by van Sost (1991).

The highest daily feed intake was for lambs fed 100% corn gluten and the lowest daily feed for lambs fed 66% corn gluten (P <0.05). reatments containing 66% corn gluten feed had the highest body weight (P <0.05). In most periods, 66% of corn gluten feed showed the highest weight gain (P <0.05). Feed conversion ratio of lambs receiving 66% corn gluten feed improved in most periods (P <0.05). The digestibility of dry matter, organic matter and protein was 66% higher and significantly different from other treatments (P <0.05). Digestibility of cell wall without hemicellulose (ADF), cell wall (NDF), nonfibrous carbohydrate (NFC) and crude fat digestibility (EE) were not significantly different (P <0.05). There were significant differences among treatments for all carcass composition (P <0.05). The 66% corn gluten level treatment showed the best carcass traits compared to the other treatments. Dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, ash, crude fat, crude fiber, cell wall without hemicellulose and cell wall were 87.96, 82.67, 21.66, 6.33, 3.5, 9.4, 37.55, 12.70.

According to the results mentioned and low-cost corn gluten feed, use of corn gluten feed up to 66% in lambs is recommended.