Physical characteristics of rumen fluid and feces from lambs fed mango leaf stubble

Abstract

In 12 hair lambs (2 groups of 6/e) fed with dried ground mango leaf stubble, the physical characteristics of the rumen liquid and feces were analyzed. Group 1 (G1) consisted of the basal diet + 20 % corn stubble and group 2 (G2) basal diet + 20 % ground mango dried leaf stubble. The experiment lasted 40 days in which the characteristics of the rumen fluid and feces were evaluated weekly. The data were analyzed with the statistical program SAS (2021), and the means between groups were compared with the Pearson chi-square test. In the study, a significant difference was found in the physical characteristics of the rumen fluid between groups (P<0.001). The color of the feces was always yellow in G1 and brown in G2. For its part, the consistency was pasty in G1 and liquid in G2. On the other hand, the odor of feces was 100 % fetid for both groups, and the color in G1 was light-brown (11.11 %) and green-brown (88.89 %). Instead, the consistency of the feces was varied in G1 and normal in G2 (P<0.001). In conclusion, the lambs fed with mango leaf stubble presented brown color and liquid in the rumen content, and the consistency of the feces was normal. These characteristics are common in weaned lambs that are beginning to stabilize the rumen microbiota or in adult sheep fed with high-protein diets.