Table 1.
Ingredients and chemical composition of the basal diet fed to the lambs1
| Items | Basal diet |
|---|---|
| Ingredients (%, as fed basis) | |
| Chinese wildrye grass hay, ground | 32 |
| Alfalfa hay, ground | 8 |
| Corn | 34 |
| Soybean meal | 8.9 |
| Dried distilled grain solubles | 9.0 |
| Wheat bran | 5.5 |
| Salt | 0.5 |
| Limestone | 0.3 |
| Dicalcium phosphate | 0.5 |
| Sodium bicarbonate | 0.3 |
| Minerals and vitamin premix2 | 1.0 |
| Chemical composition (%, as-fed basis) | |
| Dry matter | 91.7 |
| Gross energy (MJ/kg) | 15.98 |
| Crude protein | 13.93 |
| Crude fat | 2.51 |
| Neutral detergent fiber | 35.98 |
| Acid detergent fiber | 17.89 |
1
Experimental diets were supplemented with 0, 50, 100, and 200 mg lycopene/1 kg basal diet.
2
Per kilogram of diet: 23 mg Fe, 28 mg Zn, 17 mg Mn, 6 mg Cu, 0.04 mg I, 0.2 mg Se, 0.1 mg Co, 3,700 IU vitamin A, 1,000 mg vitamin D3, 60 IU vitamin E.