Recent advances in nutrient requirements of meat-type sheep in China: A review

Abstract

China has the world's largest sheep flock and the largest producer of sheep meat by far. However, the nutrient requirements have not been systemically studied and there is a lack of knowledge of nutrient requirement for meat-type sheep in China. Since 2008, the nutrient requirements of meat-type sheep in China has been systematically investigated. In this review, we introduced the history of studies of nutrient requirements of meat-type sheep in China, summarized the recent advances in nutrient requirements of meat-type sheep, and highlighted the future directions of researches on nutrient requirements of meat-type sheep in China.

Keywords

• meat-type sheep
• requirement
• energy
• protein
• mineral