Table 1.
Composition of experimental diets (total mixed diets) fed to lambs (DM basis).
| Item | AZOMITE Inclusion in Diet (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.00 | 0.75 | 1.50 | |
| Ingredient Composition (%, DM) | |||
| Cracked corn grain | 60.00 | 59.25 | 58.50 |
| AZOMITE 1 | 0.00 | 0.75 | 1.50 |
| Soybean meal | 14.00 | 14.00 | 14.00 |
| Sudan grass hay | 12.00 | 12.00 | 12.00 |
| Molasses cane | 8.00 | 8.00 | 8.00 |
| Yellow grease | 3.50 | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Mineral–protein supplement 2 | 2.50 | 2.50 | 2.50 |
| Dry matter content (%) | 88.23 | 88.88 | 88.93 |
| Nutrient Composition (DM basis) 3 | |||
| Net energy (Mcal/kg) | |||
| Maintenance | 2.13 | 2.11 | 2.09 |
| Gain | 1.46 | 1.44 | 1.43 |
| Crude protein (%) | 14.73 | 14.62 | 14.58 |
| NDF (%) | 16.52 | 16.40 | 16.32 |
| Ether extract (%) | 6.30 | 6.28 | 6.28 |
| Mineral matter | 6.15 | 6.89 | 7.62 |
1 Volcanic ash composed by hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate distributed by AZOMITE Mineral Products Inc., Utah, USA. 2 Corn grain was prepared and adjusted so that the kernels were broken to produce a bulk density of approximately 0.60 kg/L. Mineral–protein supplement contained the following (%): crude protein 72.8%, calcium, 20%; CoSO4, 0.010%; CuSO4, 0.15%; FeSO4, 0.528%; ZnO, 0.111%; MnSO4, 0.160%; KI, 0.007%; and NaCl, 13.7%.3 Sudangrass hay was ground in a hammer mill (Azteca 20, Molinos Azteca, Guadalajara,México) with a 3.81 cm screen before incorporation into a total mixed ration. Calculated based on tabular values for individual feed ingredients [13] with the exception of CP and NDF, which were determined in our laboratory.