Evaluation of Rumen-Protected Methionine Supplementation on Milk Production and Composition in Crossbred Dairy Sheep
Juan Carlos Angeles-Hernandez,
Josué Vicente Cervantes-Bazán,
Rodolfo Vieyra-Alberto,
Angelica Valeria Lorenzana-Moreno,
Ángel Garduño-García,
Augusto César Lizarazo-Chaparro
Affiliations
Juan Carlos Angeles-Hernandez
Departamento de Medicina y Zootecnia de Rumiantes, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México C.P. 04510, Mexico
Josué Vicente Cervantes-Bazán
Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica Agrícola, Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, Carr. México—Texcoco Km. 38.5, Chapingo, Texcoco C.P. 56230, Estado de México, Mexico
Rodolfo Vieyra-Alberto
Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Avenida Universidad km 1 s/n, Exhacienda Aquetzalpa, Tulancingo de Bravo C.P. 43600, Hidalgo, Mexico
Angelica Valeria Lorenzana-Moreno
Centro de Enseñanza Práctica e Investigación en Producción y Salud Animal, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Cruz Blanca No. 486, Tlapan, Ciudad de México C.P. 14500, Mexico
Ángel Garduño-García
Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica Agrícola, Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, Carr. México—Texcoco Km. 38.5, Chapingo, Texcoco C.P. 56230, Estado de México, Mexico
Augusto César Lizarazo-Chaparro
Centro de Enseñanza Práctica e Investigación en Producción y Salud Animal, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Cruz Blanca No. 486, Tlapan, Ciudad de México C.P. 14500, Mexico
In dairy sheep, optimum nutrition is required to maintain a positive energy and nitrogen balance, and therefore, achieve adequate performance levels. In this sense, supplemental rumen-protected methionine (RPMet) has been a nutritional strategy used to improve the availability of amino acids in sheep for milk production. The aim of the current study is to assess the effect of RPMet supplementation on the milk yield and milk composition of crossbred dairy sheep. Twenty F1 sheep (50% Pelibuey × 50% East Friesian) were randomly assigned to one of the following three treatments: C (control: 0 g/d), 3 g (3.0 g/d), or 6 g (6 g/d) of RPMet added to the basal diet from day 2 to 120 after lambing. Milk yield was significantly higher in sheep supplemented with 6 g of RPMet (p = 0.04) with a linear effect (p p = 0.02) and non-fat solid yield (p = 0.03) were positively affected by the methionine supplementation. Our results suggest that methionine supplementation is an option to increase milk production, likely associated with the better availability of nutrients of dairy sheep farms using crossbred sheep in regions with an incipient dairy sheep industry.
