Effects of potato seedling silage on growth performance, rumen fermentation parameters, and serum biochemical indexes of mutton sheep.

The experiment aimed to investigate the effects of potato seedling silage on the growth performance, rumen fermentation parameters, and serum biochemical indexes of mutton sheep. A total of 48 healthy mutton sheep with similar body weight were randomly divided into four groups with three replicates per group and four mutton sheep per replicate. The control group was fed with whole-plant corn silage, while experimental groups I, II, and III used 25%, 50%, 100% potato seedling silage to replace the whole-plant corn silage, respectively. The pre-feeding period was one week, and the formal experimental period lasted for 60 days. The results showed that the final body weight and average daily weight gain of group II were significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05), and the feed-to-gain ratio was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). The ruminal acetic acid in groups I and II was significantly higher than that in the control group and group III (P<0.05), and the concentration of total volatile fatty acids in group II was significantly higher than that in the control group and group III (P<0.05), the microbial protein content in group II was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05), and the concentration of ammonium nitrogen was significantly lower than that in the control group and group III (P<0.05). The levels of serum cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and urea nitrogen in group II were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05), and the level of serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in groups I and II was significantly higher than that in the control group and group III (P<0.05). The serum glucose level in all experimental groups was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). The study indicates that the appropriate addition of potato seedling silage has a promoting effect on the growth performance and rumen fermentation of mutton sheep, and enhances lipid metabolism. It is advisable to replace 50% of the whole-plant corn silage with potato seedling silage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]