The Effect of Adding Large Amounts of Cottonseed Meal to a Lamb Fattening Ration

In a series of digestion and retention studies, 181 grams of cottonseed meal were used to replace an equal amount of shelled yellow corn in a lamb fattening ration. Both rations contained 454 grams of alfalfa hay and the low cottonseed ration contained 46 grams of cottonseed meal. The ration with the large amount of cottonseed meal had higher apparent digestion coefficients for protein and fat but lower for N.F.E. than the ration containing the small amount of protein supplement. These differences were highly significant. The apparent digestion coefficient of crude fiber was lower with an excess of the supplement. Both rations resulted on the average in positive balances of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and nitrogen. The high cottonseed meal ration resulted in a highly significant increase in phosphorus storage and reduction in calcium storage. Average phosphorus retention was increased from 5.4 to 9.6 grams and calcium storage reduced from 8.5 to 6.7 grams in the 10-day periods. The higher magnesium storage was secured in the high cottonseed meal ration which contained the larger amount. Likewise, nitrogen storage was higher on the high protein ration but the results were not consistent. Nitrogen intake on both rations was above what might be considered as optimum levels.