Effect of Feeding Frequency and Adding Moringa Seeds on the Productive Performance and some Carcass Traits of Awassi Lambs

The study included 24 Awassi lambs aged of (3-4) months, distributed randomly into four treatments homogeneous by weight, each treatment includes 6 lambs. The first treatment was fed twice a day without supplementation, second treatment was fed twice a day with addition 5 g of Moringa seeds/head/day, third treatment they were fed three times a day without supplementation, and the fourth treatment was fed three times a day with addition 5 gm of Moringa seeds/head/day. The results of the study showed a significant (p≤0.05) superiority in body weight at the second week in favor of the lambs that were fed twice daily, while the lambs that were fed three times had a significant (p≤0.05) superiority in final weight and total weight gain, and the fourth treatment was significantly superior (p≤0.05) in final weight and total weight gain compared to the second and third treatments. Lambs fed twice daily outperformed highly significant (p≤0.01) in the carcass width at the shoulders. Also, the lambs that were fed twice daily without addition were significantly (p≤0.01) superior in this trait to their counterparts that were fed three times. There was a significant (p≤0.05) superiority in the weight of fat-tail for the treatment with Moringa added compared to the treatment without it. Significant differences (p≤0.05) were observed in the dressing percentage in favor of lambs in the third and fourth treatments. The treatment to which Moringa was added was significantly (p≤0.01) superior in albumin concentration in the blood over the treatment without addition, and the albumin concentration was significantly (p≤0.05) higher in the second treatment compared to the rest of the other treatments. A highly significant (p≤0.01) was observed in the concentration of triglycerides in the blood of lambs fed three times daily.


Introduction
The increase in the demand for food, especially red meat on the one hand, and the high prices of fodder materials on the other hand, so recent studies have tended in last few years to reduce the cost of nutrition and improve the quality of the diet by adding some nutritional supplements and following a successful management method to form balanced diets that meet the animal's need [1].In addition, to increase the efficiency of food utilization and determine the animal's nutritional needs, researchers tended to think about using new administrative systems in order to obtain weight gain for lambs, and the repetition of feeding in the form of meals stimulates the animal to eat it and increase the weight gained [2].Because of the contamination of the feed and its moistening with saliva, the animals refuse 1259 (2023) 012064 IOP Publishing doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1259/1/012064 2 to eat it for this reason, many breeders prefer the system of providing multiple meals for animals, which also leads to an increase in the time retaining food and reducing the speed of its passage inside the rumen, thus increasing the efficiency of digestion, increasing microbial protein, and not decreasing the pH to a large degree, thus providing a suitable environment for the growth of microorganisms inside the rumen [1].Moringa oleifera seed has nutritional and medicinal importance since ancient times, as it was used in the treatment of various diseases in ancient medicine, as these seeds possess a high nutritional value because they are an excellent source of protein as well as contain different types of vitamins, including (vitamin A, C, and B group ) and minerals [3].Its seeds are distinguished by their containing active substances such as alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, plant sterols, and antioxidants that increase the efficiency of digestion in the rumen and intestines, and benefit from the components of feed for their longer stay in the digestive system [4].Moringa also contains both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids [5].From the aforementioned, this research aimed to study the effect of feeding frequency and adding Morinca seeds to the diet on the productive performance and some carcass characteristics of Awassi lambs.

Experimental Design and Animals
This study was conducted in the fields of the College of Agriculture and Forestry / University of Mosul laboratories in Mosul university Ethical approval No. um.VET.2021.5, during the period 15/9/2022 to 15/12/2022.The study included 24 Awassi lambs with an average aged 3-4 months and an average initial weight of 20-22 kg.The lambs were randomly distributed into four homogenous treatments.By weight, each treatment included 6 lambs.The first treatment was fed twice (6:00 am and 6:00 pm) without supplementation, the second treatment was fed twice (6:00 am and 6:00 pm) with the addition of 5 gm of Moringa seeds / head / day, the third treatment were fed three times a day (6:00 am, 12:00 noon, and 6:00 pm) without supplementation, and the fourth treatment was fed three times a day (6:00 am, 12:00 noon, and 6:00 pm) with the addition of 5 gm of Moringa seeds / head / Day.Lambs were weighed every two weeks during the experimental period (90 days) using an English-made ELTER scale with a capacity of 150 kg.

Blood Measurements and Carcass Traits
Blood samples were drawn from lambs from the jugular vein one month after the start of the experiment, the blood components were estimated using a spectrophotometer that operates using the spectrophotometer method and using ready-made analyzes (Kit) from the French company (Biolabo Reagent), where read glucose, total protein, albumin, cholesterol, triglycerides and urea.At the end of the experiment, four lambs were slaughtered from each treatment, and the weight of the hot carcass was taken, and the weights of the primary carcass pieces (liver, kidneys, lungs, and heart) and the secondary pieces (skin, head, and feet) were measured with a scale with a sensitivity of 1 g.

Animal Feeding
The lambs were fed on concentrated diet at the rate of 750 gm/head/day at the beginning of the experiment, and this amount was gradually increased until it reached 1500 gm/head/day at the end of the experiment, in addition to providing mineral salts blocks and water to all lambs continuously throughout the study period.The experimental diet contained 66% crushed barley, 20% wheat bran, 7.5% soybean meal, 4.75% hay, 0.5% salt, 0.5% limestone, 0.5% soda, 0.25% urea, dry matter 92.11%, crude protein 14.27% and metabolic energy 2509 kilocalories / kg.

Statistical Analysis
Data were analyzed statistically using a completely randomized design (C.R.D), according to the mathematical model of a two-factor experiment, as follows: Since: Y ijk = the observation value affected by the frequency of feeding (i) and the addition of Morinca seeds (j) contained in the replicator (k).µ = the overall mean of the replicator from which the research sample was taken.A i = effect of feeding frequency and i = 1,2 for twice daily and three times daily feedings, respectively.M j = effect of adding Morinca seeds, and j = 1,2 without supplementation and adding (5) gm of Moringa seeds / lamb / day, respectively.AMij = effect of interaction between feeding frequency and Morinca seed addition.e ijk = the effect of the experimental unit error that affects the frequency of feeding (i) and the addition of Morinca seeds (j) contained in the replicator (k).Statistical analysis of all data was carried out using the ready-made statistical analysis program SAS [6], and comparisons between averages were made using Duncan's multiple range test [7].

Body Weight and Weight Gain of Lambs
The results of the study showed that there were significant differences (p≤0.05) in the body weight at the second week in favor of the lambs that were fed twice a day compared to the lambs that were fed three times a day and The body weight was (24.71 and 22.99) kg, respectively (Table 1).After the eighth week, arithmetic differences were observed in the body weight in favor of the lambs that were fed three times a day, but the difference was not significant As for the final weight, the lambs that were fed three times were significantly (p≤0.05)superior to their counterparts that were fed twice daily, and the final weight reached (40.71 and 42.34) kg, respectively.Significant differences (p≤ 0.05) were observed in the total weight gain, which amounted to (19.25 and 20.93) kg for lambs that were fed twice and three times, respectively.This superiority can be attributed to the fact that feeding frequency has a positive effect on rumen fermentations and causes an increase in the time of food retention and a decrease in the speed of its passage inside the rumen, thus increasing the efficiency of digestion, increasing the microbial protein and not decreasing the pH to a large degree, thus providing an appropriate environment for the growth of microorganisms inside the rumen [1].Moreover, feeding frequently can enhance the appetite of lambs, which leads to improved growth and weight gain.These results agreed with the findings of [8], [9] who noted that repeated feeding leads to a significant increase in lamb weights and are inconsistent with the results of [10,11] who did not find a significant effect of feeding frequency on lamb weights.The results of the study indicated that there was no significant effect of adding Moringa seeds on the weight of lambs and weight gain, although there were slight arithmetic differences, but they were not significant.The results of this study agreed with [12][13][14], while noted by [15][16][17], that the addition of Morinca stems or seeds led to a significant increase in lamb weights.The interaction between feeding frequency and adding Moringa seeds had a highly significant effect (p≤0.01) on the final weight of lambs, where the lambs in the fourth treatment (three times fed with addition of Morinca) were superior to the second treatment (twice with addition) and the third (three times without addition) The final weight of these treatments was (43.60, 41.08, and 39.00) kg, respectively, and the total weight gain was (22.18, 19.67 and 17.50) kg, respectively (Table 1).These results may be attributed to the fact that Moringa seeds contain effective substances, antioxidants and vitamins, which work to increase the efficiency of digestion in the rumen and intestines, and to benefit from the feed ingredients for a longer stay in the digestive system [4].

Carcass Measurements
The results of (Table 2) indicate a highly significant decrease (p≤ 0.01) in carcass width at the shoulders of the lambs that were fed three times a day compared to the lambs that were fed twice a day, which amounted to (23.19 and 25.63) cm, respectively.The interaction had a highly significant effect (p≤0.01) on the carcass width at the shoulders, as it reached above (26.25 cm) for the lambs that were fed twice a day without addition.Lambs that were fed three times with addition were superior to their counterparts that were fed three times a day without addition and reached a width carcass (24.37 and 22.00) cm, respectively.This may be due to the effect of adding Moringa to the diet, as these seeds have a high nutritional value because they are a source of protein as well as contain different types of vitamins, including A, B, C and minerals [3].On the other hand, the results of the study shown in (Table 2) did not show any significant effect of the feeding frequency or the addition of Moringa and the interaction between them on the rest of the other carcass dimensions.

Carcass Traits
It is clear from (Table 3) that there are no significant differences in the characteristics of the carcass (weight hot carcass, weight fat-tail, kidneys weight, the fat of the pelvis, the fat of the heart, intestines fat, weight of the full and empty digestive tract, and the dressing percentage of live weight and empty weight).These results are consistent with the findings of [18], [10], [11] and [19] while [8] noted that there were significant differences in the weight hot carcass resulting from effect of feeding frequency.
A significant (p≤ 0.05) superiority was observed in the weight fat-tail for the treatment to which Moringa seeds were added compared to the treatment without addition, and weight fat-tail weight was (4.34 and 3.67) kg, respectively (Table 3).While the addition of Moringa had no significant effect on the rest other traits.The results of this study agreed with what was found by [13], [20] In terms of the non-significant effect of adding Moringa on carcass weight, and not in agreement with what was obtained by [21], who found significant differences between the treatments in weight hot carcass and the rest of the other traits resulting from the effect of adding Moringa to the diet.(Table 3) shows that there is a highly significant effect (p≤ 0.01) of the interaction between the feeding frequency and the addition of Moringa seeds on the weight fat-tail, as the lambs that were fed three times a day with the addition were significantly superior to their counterparts that were fed three times without the addition of 1.38 kg, while The differences were insignificant in the weight fat-tail among the rest of the other treatments.In addition, there were no significant differences between the interaction treatments in the rest of the other carcass traits.
The results of the study showed there were significant differences (p≤ 0.05) for the interaction coefficients in the dressing percentage to empty live weight and the dressing percentage to live weight in favor of the treatments that were fed three times daily without supplementation and lambs that were fed twice with supplementation compared with lambs that were fed three times daily with supplementation moringa, the dressing percentage to empty live weight was (46.96, 48.08, 48.76, and 45.08) for the interaction treatments twice without addition, twice with addition, three times without addition, and three times with addition, respectively, while the dressing percentage to live weight was (43.58, 45.05, 45.34, and 42.22) for the four treatments, respectively.

Blood Biochemical Traits
The results of (Table 4) indicated that there were highly significant differences (p≤ 0.01) in the concentration of triglycerides in the blood in favor of the treatment of feeding frequency three times compared to the frequency of feeding twice daily, which amounted to (28.70 and 20.49) mg / dl, respectively.While the frequency of feeding did not have a significant effect on other blood components, and this result was consistent with what was reached by [9], [19] who did not find significant differences in blood characteristics resulting from the effect of repeated feeding.The addition of moringa had a highly significant effect (p≤0.01) on the albumin concentration in the blood, as the treatment to which moringa was added was significantly superior to the treatment without the addition the concentration of the albumins was (3.79 and 3.33) g/ld., respectively.These results agreed with the results of other researchers [12], [22] and [16].The increase in albumin level in Morinca treatment may be attributed to several factors, including antioxidant properties, nutrient digestion, rumen fermentation, and regulation of metabolism pathways food [23].On the other hand, the differences were not significant among other blood components.Table 3. Mean ± standard error of the effect of feeding frequency and adding Moringa seeds in carcass characteristics (kg).Although there was a slight increase in the level of glucose, total protein, and urea in favor of the treatment with Moringa added, the differences were non-significant, and these results agreed with the findings of some researchers [24], [25] and disagreed with the results of researcher [26], and [27] indicated that the introduction of moringa into diets works on kinetic transformations of rumen fermentations from acetate to propionate which are important for glucose synthesis in the liver for later use in protein biosynthesis.The interaction had a significant effect (p≤ 0.05) on the albumin concentration, as the second treatment (twice with addition) was significantly superior to the rest of IOP Publishing doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1259/1/0120648 the other treatments, reaching 3.93 g/ld, while the differences were not significant between the rest of the treatments.(Table 4) shows that there are high significant differences (p≤ 0.01) between the interaction treatments in the concentration of triglycerides, where the treatment that was fed three times a day without addition was superior to the rest of the treatments, and the lambs that were fed three times a day with the addition of moringa outperformed the lambs which were fed twice without addition, as the triglycerides in the blood of lambs reached (18.56, 22.41, 31.76, and 25.64) mg/dl for the first, second, third, and fourth interaction treatments, respectively.

Conclusions
Feeding frequency and adding moringa seeds to the diet leads to an increase in the final weight, the weight gain of the lambs, the weight of the fat-tail, and the improvement of the dressing percentage on the basis of live and empty weight.Also, feeding frequency and adding moringa seeds lead to changes in blood components, as adding moringa raises the concentration of albumin and feeding three times a day increases the level of triglycerides in the blood of lambs.

Table 1 .
Mean ± standard error of the effect of feeding frequency and addition of Moringa seeds in body weight and weight gain of lambs (kg).Vertically different letters indicate significant differences between the factors.* Significant at (P≤ 0.05) level, ** Significant at (P≤ 0.01) level.

Table 2 .
Mean ± standard error of the effect of feeding frequency and adding Moringa seeds in carcass measurements (cm).

Table 4 .
Mean ± standard error of the effect of feeding frequency and adding moringa seeds in the biochemical characteristics of blood.