Comparison of the fattening performances of Awassi lambs under the traditional and improved feedlot conditions on Taurus Mountains of Mersin province (Boztepe village / Tarsus)

This study was conducted with the objective of comparing the feedlot performance of male Awassi lambs under the traditional feedlot as applied by the producers and modern feedlot as recommended by the University of Çukurova. A total of 28 weaned male Awassi lambs were allotted into two groups as the traditional feedlot group and the modern feedlot group. The fattening started on 07.07.2012 and finished on 12.10.2012 .The traditional feedlot group was grazed and supplemented by barley, cotton seed meal and wheat bran according to their quantities available. The modern feedlot group was confined continously and fed a 10 % alfalfa,+ 90 % well balanced pelleted ration previously successfully used. The groups liveweights were initially 27.52 kg and 27.59 kg. The final weights (46.26 kg and 54.31 kg) for the two groups were found to have significant difference (P< 0.01). Similarly the daily gains for the two groups were 0.196 kg and 0.283 kg and the difference was statistically significant (P< 0.01). The feed conversion rates were 5.58 and 5.20 respectively. The results indicated that Awassi can be successfully raised on the Taurus mountains and the modern feedlot techniques can provide significant improvement and economical benefit, to the farmers in the area.