Effects of indigenous <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> on intake, growth, gut histology, and serum biomarkers in pre-weaned Lohi lambs

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the comparative efficacy of locally-produced yeastnto commercial yeast on growth nperformance, serum biomarkers, and gut histology. Thirty pre-weanednmale Lohi lambs were divided into; 1) C (Control; starter diet nwith no supplement), 2) CY (starter dietnwith ewe milk supplemented with 1 g/animal/day commercial yeast), and 3) LY (starter dietnsupplemented with 1 g/animal/day local yeast). Animals were housed individually and fed a starter dietnand orts were weighed ndaily. Dry matter intake (DMI) was determined daily while the body weights werendetermined on a weekly basis. At the end of the trial, nblood samples were collected and analysed fornblood urea nitrogen (BUN), glucose, β-Hydroxybutyrate (BHBA), and non-esterified fatty nacids (NEFA),nwhile ruminal fluid and tissues were collected for rumen fermentation parameters andnhistomorphometry. The results nrevealed that the DMI and average daily weight gain (ADWG) werenhigher in CY and LY compared to C. The feed efficiency was also nbetter in CY and LY lambs comparednto C lambs. The BHBA, BUN, total proteins (TP), cholesterol, creatinine, blood glucose, and tissuenhistomorphometry were similar in LY and CY supplementation. In conclusion, supplementation with LYnproduced comparable nresults to the CY.