Evaluation of diets for sheep: Alternative strategy with mesquite and cactus for sustainability

Abstract

Weight gain in growing sheep and economic savings in feeding were evaluated through a diet made from protein-enriched and dehydrated cactus with the inclusion of mesquite. This input is produced with raw materials that tolerate water stress, present in arid and semi-arid regions such as the northern region of Jalisco, which allows livestock activity to be directed towards sustainability.
To carry out the study, three different diets were prepared. Treatment 3 served as control; included a commercial balance for sheep + corn stover, while ground corn + soybeans + canola + urea + corn stover + different proportions of the base input of enriched cactus pear cactus dehydrated with mesquite were added to treatments 1 and 2. These last two ingredients are local. All diets were balanced to achieve a protein content of 16%.
Also, 15 sheep were selected to form three groups, ensuring a uniform distribution in the initial weights. These groups were subjected to the dietary regimen for a period of eight weeks.

Analysis of variance and the Tukey test were used to analyze the results obtained. Similar weight gain was observed in all groups, suggesting that the processed diets have similar nutritional properties. This indicates that the input made from cactus and mesquite met the objective, and its potential to replace other protein raw materials that increase feed costs was demonstrated.
In addition to reducing the waste of mesquite and cactus, underused raw materials, these are an alternative that not only benefits economically by reducing feed costs, but also contributes to environmental sustainability by reducing the demand for more scarce and expensive resources.