Blend of Essential Oils Supplemented Alone or Combined with Exogenous Amylase Compared with Virginiamycin Supplementation on Finishing Lambs: Performance, Dietary Energetics, Carcass Traits, and Nutrient Digestion
Alfredo Estrada-Angulo,
Yesica J. Arteaga-Wences,
Beatriz I. Castro-Pérez,
Jesús D. Urías-Estrada,
Soila Gaxiola-Camacho,
Claudio Angulo-Montoya,
Elizama Ponce-Barraza,
Alberto Barreras,
Luis Corona,
Richard A. Zinn,
José B. Leyva-Morales,
Xiomara P. Perea-Domínguez,
Alejandro Plascencia
Affiliations
Alfredo Estrada-Angulo
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Culiacan 80260, Mexico
Yesica J. Arteaga-Wences
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Culiacan 80260, Mexico
Beatriz I. Castro-Pérez
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Culiacan 80260, Mexico
Jesús D. Urías-Estrada
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Culiacan 80260, Mexico
Soila Gaxiola-Camacho
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Culiacan 80260, Mexico
Claudio Angulo-Montoya
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Culiacan 80260, Mexico
Elizama Ponce-Barraza
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Culiacan 80260, Mexico
Alberto Barreras
Veterinary Science Research Institute, Autonomous University of Baja California, Mexicali 21100, Mexico
Luis Corona
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, National Autonomous University of Mexico, México 04510, Mexico
Richard A. Zinn
Animal Science Department, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
José B. Leyva-Morales
Health Sciences Department, University Autonomous of the West, Guasave 81048, Mexico
Xiomara P. Perea-Domínguez
Natural and Exact Sciences Department, University Autonomous of the West, Guasave 81048, Mexico
Alejandro Plascencia
Natural and Exact Sciences Department, University Autonomous of the West, Guasave 81048, Mexico
Two experiments were conducted to compare a supplemental blend of essential oils alone (EO) or combined with enzymes (EO + ENZ) versus virginiamycin (VM), on characteristics of growth performance (Exp. 1) and digestion (Exp. 2) in finishing lambs. Lambs were fed a high-energy finishing diet supplemented with: (1) no supplement (control); (2) 150 mg supplemental EO; (3) 150 mg supplemental EO plus 560 mg alpha-amylase (EO + ENZ); and 4) 25 mg VM. Compared with the control, growth performance response to EO and VM were similar, enhancing (5.7%, p p = 0.09) to increase dry matter intake (6.8%), improving (p p p ≤ 0.03) the relative weight of the intestines. There were no treatment effects on measures of digestion nor digestible energy of the diet. Supplemental EO may be an effective alternative to VM in high-energy finishing diets for feedlot lambs. Combination EO + ENZ may further enhance dry matter intake, promoting increased weight gain.
