The Effect of Feeding of Different Levels of Whole and Ground Flaxseed on Performance, Digestibility, Blood Parameters and Microbial Protein of Kabodeh Shirazi Lambs

The administration of Flaxseed as a source of energy supplementation can affect the growth of lambs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of feeding different levels (0, 8 and 15%) of whole and ground Flaxseed on performance, nutrient digestibility, some blood parameters, and microbial protein production of Kabodeh Shirazi lambs.

30 male lambs (60 ± 4 days old and weighing 23.7 ± 2.5 kg) were allocated to 5 experimental groups with 6 replications in a completely randomized design. Treatments include 1- Diet without Flaxseed (control), 2- Diet containing 8% whole Flaxseed, 3- Diet containing 15% whole Flaxseed, 4- Diet containing 8% ground Flaxseed, and 5- Diet containing 15% of Flaxseed was ground (based on dry matter).

The addition of Flaxseed (whole and ground) had no significant effect on the performance of lambs and digestibility of nutrients in the whole gastrointestinal tract, but In comparison with the control group, crude fat digestibility has greatly improved in treatments using Flaxseed (p=0.001). As compared to the control treatments, the Flaxseed treatments raised plasma triglycerides (p=0.03) and cholesterol levels significantly (p=0.04). No difference was seen in glucose and albumin levels among lambs receiving different amounts or forms of Flaxseed. Purine derivatives, microbial nitrogen, and microbial protein production were also not affected by experimental treatments.

Flaxseed in various levels and forms improved the digestibility of crude fat and also increased triglycerides and blood cholesterol.